Queens for the Night

Queens for the Night is a British reality television competition that sees a group of celebrities become drag queens. It aired on 5 November 2022 on ITV.^[1] It was presented by Lorraine Kelly with Courtney Act, Rob Beckett, Melanie C and Layton Williams serving as judges.^[2][3] The competition was won by Coronation Street actor Simon Gregson as his drag alter-ego "Bidet Bardot", who performed a comedy performance mentored by Myra DuBois.^[4]

Queens for the Night
Genre	Reality competition
Creative director	Mark Jennings
Presented by	Lorraine Kelly
Judges	Courtney Act Rob Beckett Melanie C Layton Williams
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	Karen Smith
Producer	Rory Dalziel
Production company	Tuesday's Child
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	5 November 2022 (2022-11-05)

Format

The one-off television special features six celebrities paired with their very own drag mentor as they unleash their drag alter-egos and attempt to master the art of drag. Each celebrity drag queen undergoes a transformation before enacting either singing, dancing, lip syncing, impressions or comedy in front of a panel of judges and a live studio audience with one celebrity being crowned the winner.^[5][6] The format has been compared to the American reality series RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race.^[2][7]

Production

In February 2022, Ant & Dec performed in drag during the "End of the Show Show" segment on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, and it was later reported in May that the positive reaction to the performance and the success of RuPaul's Drag Race UK on BBC Three had been a factor in ITV commissioning Queens for the Night, a one-off reality television competition that sees celebrities undergoing drag transformations.^[8][9][10] The show was officially announced by ITV in June 2022, and is created and produced by the company Tuesday's Child. Following the commissioning of the show, head of ITV entertainment Katie Rawcliffe said "[The show would] have all the wow factor you would expect from this wonderful celebration of drag, and the perfect way to showcase everything that makes drag performance such a sensation."^[2][11]

Celebrities

The celebrities competing in the series and their drag mentors were announced on 7 June 2022.^[2][12][13]

Contestants of Queens for the Night and their mentors

Drag Name	Celebrity	Occupation	Mentor	Outcome
Bidet Bardot	Simon Gregson	Coronation Street actor	Myra DuBois	Winner
Proteina Turner	Mr Motivator	Fitness instructor	Asttina Mandella	Runner-up
Orla Feelz	Chris Hughes	Television personality & model	Margo Marshall	Third place
Dame Shelley Sassy	George Shelley	Union J singer	La Voix	Eliminated
Madame MiMi D'YooYoo	Adam Woodyatt	EastEnders actor	Kitty Scott-Claus
Trixie Turnover	Joe Marler	Rugby player	Blu Hydrangea

Performances

Contestants' performances on Queens for the Night^[14]

Order	Drag Name	Celebrity	Mentor	Category	Result
1	Bidet Bardot	Simon Gregson	Myra DuBois	Comedy	Winner
2	Dame Shelley Sassy	George Shelley	La Voix	Singing	Eliminated
3	Proteina Turner	Mr Motivator	Asttina Mandella	Lip syncing	Runner-up
4	Trixie Turnover	Joe Marler	Blu Hydrangea	Magic	Eliminated
5	Orla Feelz	Chris Hughes	Margo Marshall	Dance	Third place
6	Madame MiMi D'YooYoo	Adam Woodyatt	Kitty Scott-Claus	Impressions	Eliminated

References

1. "New ITV show Queens For The Night will see celebs become drag queens". TellyMix. 24 October 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
2. "Queens for the Night". ITV Press Centre. 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
3. "Mel C, Courtney Act, & Rob Beckett Will Be Judges On ITV's New Drag Show". Bustle. 11 October 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
4. "ITV viewers make same demand after watching Queens For The Night". Liverpool Echo. 5 November 2022. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
5. "Blu Hydrangea, La Voix, Asttina Mandella and more land ITV special Queens For The Night". Attitude. 24 October 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
6. "Simon Gregson and Adam Woodyatt to undergo ultimate drag transformations as they sign up for new ITV show". Evening Standard. 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
7. "'Queens For The Night': ITV Studios Bags Production & Distribution Rights To ITV Celebrity Drag Contest Format". Deadline Hollywood. 11 October 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
8. "Ant and Dec in drag: 'This will change LGBTQ+ children's lives'". BBC News. 22 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
9. "Ant and Dec "moved" by reaction to Saturday Night Takeaway drag performance". Radio Times. 8 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
10. "Queens for the Night: ITV 'to announce new celebrity drag Queen competition'". TV Zone UK. 2 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
11. "Coronation Street and Love Island stars team up with Drag Race icons in new ITV show". Digital Spy. 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
12. "Simon Gregson and Mr Motivator become drag queens for one-off ITV special". Radio Times. 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
13. "Drag Race UK stars Blu Hydrangea and Asttina Mandella join ITV special Queens For The Night". Gay Times. 8 June 2022. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
14. "Queens for the Night on ITV Hub". ITV Hub. 5 November 2022. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.

External links

• Queens for the Night at IMDb