The connections between Drag Race UK and the Eurovision Song Contest

With Season 7 of Drag Race UK kicking off, we've looked back at the many connections between the show and the Eurovision Song Contest.

The first edition of Drag Race UK hit screens worldwide all the way back in 2019.

Since then, it has produced a cavalcade of stars and become one of the most popular franchises of Ru Paul's empire.

During Drag Race UK itself, or what the queens have done before and after, actually has many connections to Eurovision.

And with the latest season premiering overnight, we've gone through and found the obvious and the sometimes tenuous links between the two.

Bing Bang Bong!

In Season 2 of Drag Race UK, the queens faced a Eurovision-themed challenge. Split into girl groups, the queens had to record a parody Eurovision-style track.

The two groups were United Kingdolls (Lawrence Chaney, Bimini Bon Boulash, Tayce, A’Whora) and Bananadrama (Joe Black, Tia Kofi, Ellie Diamond, Sister Sister).

Each group performed their own version of UK Hun?, a song with an instantly iconic chorus: “Bing Bang Bong, Sing Sang Song, Ding Dang Dong.”

The United Kingdolls’ version became a viral hit when the episode aired in 2021. The track was officially released on 11 February 2021, peaking at number 27 on the UK Singles Chart and reaching number 1 on the UK iTunes chart.

Clips from the performance spread across TikTok and Twitter. Fans began calling for the United Kingdolls to represent the UK at Eurovision.

The 'campaign' received a lot of British media attention, even though it had no chance of actually happening!

Queens stepping into Eurovision roles

Since her appearance in Season 2, Tia Kofi has become one of the most Eurovision-connected queens in Drag Race herstory.

A lifelong fan of the contest, Tia co-hosted the Turquoise Carpet in Mälmo at Eurovision 2024, alongside Swedish drag queen Elecktra. She also interviewed contestants backstage at the same event.

In 2025, she returned to Eurovision screens to co-host The Big Eurovision Party on BBC One, sharing the stage with former Eurovision entrant Edsilia Rombley. Tia has also appeared in various BBC Eurovision specials, cementing her as a queen of the contest.

Meanwhile, The Vivienne, winner of Season 1, performed at one of the official opening concerts for Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool alongside Tia Kofi.

She also appeared at fan events throughout Eurovision week, bringing her drag excellence to her home city's global spotlight.

The Vivienne sadly passed away earlier this year.

Queens with earlier Eurovision ties

Tomara Thomas, who competed in Season 5, took her Eurovision bow even before her Drag Race debut.

In 2023, she performed as part of the drag trio (the one in the blue) in the semi-final interval act Be Who You Wanna Be, a drag-led lip sync medley.

The performance included We Got Love, the 2018 Australian Eurovision entry by Jessica Mauboy, and was celebrated for showcasing drag performers on the Eurovision stage.

The three drag artists were meant to represent the three hosts of the show who were transformed by the 'Queen Machine."

Later that year, Tomara joined Season 5 of Drag Race UK, making her the first contestant to have performed at Eurovision before competing on the show.

Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit of Eurovision in the Werkroom

Despite their many shared qualities, Drag Race UK and Eurovision haven’t crossed over musically all that often.

Only one official Eurovision entry has ever featured in a lip sync: Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit by Australia's own Gina G (the UK’s 1996 Eurovision entry).

Though it only placed eighth at Eurovision in Oslo, the song was a massive international hit, reaching No.1 in Australia and the top 10 in several European countries.

In Season 3, Episode 5 of Drag Race UK, Vanity Milan and Scarlett Harlett lip synced to the track. Vanity Milan won the performance; Scarlett Harlett was sent packing.

Judges, commentators and crossover stars

No one bridges Drag Race UK and Eurovision more fully than Graham Norton.

A regular panel judge on the show, Norton has also been the BBC’s Eurovision commentator since 2009. In 2023, he co-hosted the Eurovision Grand Final in Liverpool.

Another familiar name is Lulu, who won Eurovision in 1969 with Boom Bang-a-Bang.

She guest judged Season 3, Episode 6 - the Snatch Game episode that ended in the show’s first-ever double elimination. After a lip sync to Lulu's own hit Shout, Choriza May and River Medway were both sent home.

Alesha Dixon, another 2023 Eurovision host, judged on Season 3, Episode 2. That episode saw the elimination of Charity Kase.

Olly Alexander, who represented the UK at Eurovision 2024 with Dizzy, later joined Drag Race UK as a guest judge in Season 5.

AJ Odudu also ties the worlds together. She co-hosted the Eurovision semi-final allocation draw in Liverpool and judged the Rusical challenge on Season 4, where Dakota Schiffer was eliminated.

Why these world collide?

Do I have to spell it for you?

Let's just say the Venn diagram of the shows' fans overlaps a tad.

Both share a creative and cultural chemistry and often (but not always) champion self-expression and a touch of campness.

Let's see if the connections continue into the future this season.

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