| Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Pete Grant |
| Starring | Cherry Valentine |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | BBC Three |
Release date |
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Running time | 55 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud is a 2022 English documentary film directed by Pete Grant and released on BBC Three and then WOW Presents Plus. [1] [2]
The documentary tells the story of George Ward leaving the English Traveller community in Darlington after coming out as gay and being rejected by the community. [3] [4] Ward left his home and started his new life as Cherry Valentine, a drag alter-ego. [5] In the documentary, Ward returned to his roots to see how he could do drag and be a Gypsy. [6] [7] At the end of the documentary, there is a short memorial tribute to George Ward, who died by suicide on 18 September 2022. [8]
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and have been a part of gay culture.
RuPaul's Drag Race UK is a British reality competition television series based on the American television series of the same name. The television series, a collaboration between the BBC and World of Wonder, premiered on 3 October 2019. The show is the fourth installment of the Drag Race franchise, and the second fronted by RuPaul. The show documents RuPaul and a panel of judges' search for "the United Kingdom's next drag superstar", the first series title dubbed "UK's First Drag Superstar". RuPaul plays several roles on the show including host, mentor and head judge for the series, as the contestants are given different challenges to participate in each week. The show also employs a panel of judges: RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Alan Carr, and Graham Norton.
Cheryl, formerly known as Cheryl Hole, is the stage name of Luke Underwood-Bleach, an English drag queen from Chelmsford in Essex who is known for being one of the first contestants on the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK (2019), as well as the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (2022), and the second season of Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World (2024).
Owen Richard Farrow, known professionally as Divina de Campo, is an English drag queen, singer, and actor, best known for competing in the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, eventually finishing as runner-up.
Drag Race is a drag queen reality competition television franchise, created by American drag entertainer RuPaul with production company World of Wonder. The franchise originated with RuPaul's Drag Race, which premiered in the United States in 2009. The objective of that series is to crown "America's Next Drag Superstar" who possesses the traits of "charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent". The original series is often credited for bringing drag into the "mainstream". The popularity of the original series led to the creation of a media franchise including spin-offs and international adaptations.
God Shave the Queens is a documentary streaming television series about the tour following each series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK. The show originally premiered internationally on 10 September 2020 on WOW Presents Plus internationally, and BBC iPlayer on 15 November 2020 in the United Kingdom.
Aston Joshua, better known by the stage name Asttina Mandella, is a British drag queen and dancer from East London. She is best known for competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, where she came eleventh on the series.
Thomas George Graeme Hibbitts, better known by the stage name Bimini Bon-Boulash or Bimini, is an English drag queen, author, recording artist and model based in East London, and born in Great Yarmouth, England. They are best known for competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, where they placed as a runner-up.
George Ward, better known by the stage name Cherry Valentine, was an English drag queen and mental health nurse who competed in the second series of the television show RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Raised in a Romanichal community, Ward has been credited as the first contestant on the Drag Race franchise to acknowledge his Romani heritage. In 2022, he addressed his background in the BBC documentary film Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud, and in an episode of the documentary series God Shave the Queens. Following Ward's suicide in 2022, a memorial concert and fundraiser was held at London's Clapham Grand.
Lawrence Chaney is a Scottish Glasgow-based drag queen. They are best known for winning the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, becoming the first Scottish drag queen and the second Plus Size contestant to win across the franchise. Their role on the series later earned them the 2021 BAFTA Scotland Audience Award. As part of their Drag Race victory, Chaney was awarded their own online television series, later titled Tartan Around, which premiered in 2022.
Tayce Szura-Radix is a Welsh drag queen, rapper, and model from Newport, Wales. She is best known for competing in the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, in which she placed joint runner-up.
Lawrence John Bolton, better known by the stage name Tia Kofi, is a British drag queen and singer from Clapham, South London. They are best known for competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK (2021), and winning the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (2024).
"The RuRuvision Song Contest" is the fifth episode of the second series of the UK version of the American reality competition television series RuPaul's Drag Race, which aired on BBC Three, on 11 February 2021. This is the first episode filmed after the production of RuPaul's Drag Race UK was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, seven months after the previous episode. Veronica Green was forced to withdraw from the competition due to testing positive for COVID-19. As a result, the first three contestants eliminated, Joe Black, Cherry Valentine and Asttina Mandella, were brought back and the remaining contestants voted on whom they wanted to return to the competition. Joe Black was voted to return to the competition. Ginny Lemon was not included due to having eliminated themself from the competition.
The second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK began airing on 14 January 2021 on the BBC Three section of BBC iPlayer and WOW Presents Plus streaming service. The series was confirmed and casting was closed on 15 November 2019. Production was suspended mid 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed late 2020. The cast of 12 new queens was announced on 16 December 2020 and the series premiered on 14 January 2021. It was also announced a special episode RuPaul's Drag Race UK: Queens on Lockdown would air, following the queens during the first lockdown. This special episode was released on 12 February.
The fourth series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK began airing on BBC Three on 22 September 2022. RuPaul returned to his role as main host and head judge, and was again joined on the judging panel by Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton, all of whom returned for their respective fourth series. The series was filmed in Pinewood Studios in February 2022. The cast for the fourth series was revealed on 7 September 2022 on social media. The cast also featured Dakota Schiffer, the first out trans woman to compete in the British version of the show.
WOW Presents Plus is a subscription-based streaming service owned by production company, World of Wonder. The subscription service was founded in November 2017, by Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey. The service offers a multitude of original series, including shows like Painted with Raven and UNHhhh.
Dexter Clift, known professionally as River Medway, is an English drag queen who is best known for competing on the third series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2021.
Christopher Adamson, better known by his stage name Vanity Milan, is a British drag queen best known for competing on the third series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK. He competed in the first season of Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World in 2022.
| Documentary | |
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| Comedy | |
| Reality | |
| Unscripted | |
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