BREAKING:Strictly Come Dancing star slams BBC over axing of beloved show
Strictly Come Dancing star La Voix has criticised the BBC’s decision to cancel RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, arguing that the show was exactly the kind of programme the broadcaster needs if it wants to attract younger viewers.
The performer, who finished as runner-up on the sixth series of Drag Race UK in 2024, said the programme played a major role in transforming her career and opening doors to opportunities including Strictly Come Dancing and This Morning.
Speaking to Express.co.uk as she announced her new tour, La Voix said she was disappointed to see the BBC drop a show that had provided a major platform for British drag performers.
“It was a huge part of my career,” she said.
“I honestly believe if I didn’t do Drag Race, I wouldn’t have got Strictly.”
She added that the series had put her “in the public eye for the first time” and described it as a “fun, bonkers entertainment show”.
La Voix Says BBC Is Losing a Younger Audience
La Voix argued that cancelling Drag Race UK sits awkwardly with the BBC’s efforts to attract younger viewers.
She said: “I know that the BBC are grappling for a younger audience and trying to find a way of bringing new audiences in.”
In her view, Drag Race UK already delivered exactly that demographic.
“I just think Drag Race is such a young audience demographic,” she said.
La Voix went further, describing the decision to let the show go as “a real crime”.
She said the programme had allowed people who might never attend a drag or cabaret show to experience that world from home.
“I think there are a lot of people sitting on their sofas that might never go to a drag show or a cabaret venue,” she explained.
“They were watching drag on their sofas.”
She also argued that the programme offered a sense of representation for younger viewers and families.
For La Voix, losing that kind of mainstream visibility is “such a shame”.
Drag Race Opened Major Doors
La Voix’s own career is an example of the opportunities she believes Drag Race UK can create.
After appearing on the show, she went on to compete on Strictly Come Dancing in 2025.
She was partnered with professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec, and she admitted it will feel strange watching him dance with someone else in the new series.
“It feels like a real breakup that you never saw coming in a strange way,” she said.
“It’s an odd thing to experience.”
Despite that, she joked that there are benefits to watching from home this time around.
She said she is looking forward to sitting on the sofa with plenty of food rather than spending her Saturday nights dancing in heels and tights.
“It’s gonna be lovely to watch someone else go through the agony of learning a jive,” she joked.
La Voix Prepares for Major UK Tour
While her television profile continues to grow, La Voix has not turned her back on live performance.
She is preparing for her biggest theatre tour yet, La Voix Live, which will travel across the UK in spring 2027.
One of the standout dates will take place at the London Palladium, a venue that holds particular meaning for her.
“I’m beyond excited,” she said.
La Voix explained that she has long admired performers including Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli and Shirley Bassey, all of whom are closely associated with iconic theatre performances.
She said the prospect of standing on the same stage and performing songs made famous by those artists still feels difficult to believe.
“To experience that same stage in that same setup is just going to be a really beautiful moment for me,” she said.
‘Such a Shame’ for Mainstream TV
Despite the excitement surrounding her tour and future projects, La Voix remains disappointed about the loss of Drag Race UK.
For her, the programme was not simply another reality television format.
It gave drag performers national exposure, introduced the art form to audiences who might never otherwise encounter it, and, in her own case, helped create opportunities well beyond the show itself.
That is why she believes the BBC’s decision represents more than the end of one entertainment programme.
In La Voix’s view, it also means losing an important piece of inclusive mainstream television at a time when the broadcaster is actively trying to reach younger audiences.
