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A Global Drag Franchise Takes a Final BBC Runway
· New York time
RuPaul's Drag Race UK crowned its winner as the BBC shelved the British spin-off after eight series. The finale gives the UK edition of the global franchise a winner to celebrate at the same time that its future on the broadcaster changes. BBC Culture reported the winner alongside the decision about the series. The juxtaposition is striking for a competition built around entrances, eliminations and memorable exits. A final crown marks an individual contestant's success, while the decision to shelve the series closes a chapter for the program's BBC run. Drag Race has traveled across national versions, making the British edition part of a much larger television format. The BBC decision concerns that UK series, not the entire international franchise. Viewers can celebrate the winner without mistaking the end of this run for an announcement about every other version. The timing is theatrical even by the show's standards. The winner gets a crown, the series gets a farewell, and the broadcaster gets to discover that closing a runway is considerably less glamorous than opening one.
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