Le Fil RuPaul’s Drag Race UK: Who is this year’s Yorkshire contestant Le Fil on the BBC Three show, where is he from, how has Yorkshire inspired his drag?

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season four starts on Thursday, September 22 at 9pm on BBC Three.

RuPaul welcomes a brand new group of queens who will take on a variety of challenging tasks that will test their skill, talent and artistic abilities which they will show off on the runway.

Dame Joanna Lumley joins Michelle Visage and Graham Norton on the judging panel in the first episode.

One of this year’s contestants on the show is from Yorkshire.

Who is Le Fil and where in Yorkshire is he from?

36-year-old Le Fil describes himself as an all-singing, all-dancing Chinese pop star and he’s from Brighouse, West Yorkshire.

Out of drag and in drag he goes by the pronouns he/him or they/them.

He’s been doing drag for years and has been dressing femininely ever since he was a child.

Three words that describe Le Fil’s drag are ‘androgynous, Asian and sensation’.

The highlight of Le Fil’s career in drag was when he toured all over the world with his childhood idol Spice Girl, Melanie C, from Brazil to Australia to Europe.

Le Fil describes his drag as ‘intersection of art, fashion, music and sculpture’.

“I like the idea that I’m breaking genre, breaking gender and creating art. My background was in art and sculpture, and so I always aim to look like a walking piece of fine art,” Le Fil said.

“A typical Le Fil show is full-on epic pop performance meets fashion and art installation with my own songs, live vocals, my own band and backing dancers.

“I call my gigs ‘pop sculptures with extras’, because they’re music gigs entwined with stories, and performance art. I like to give my fans a pop extravaganza, where the sets are like sculptures, the costumes are like couture, and the show is like a piece of live art.”

What inspires Le Fil’s drag? How has Yorkshire influenced his drag?

Le Fil uses art to express himself through drag and he loves anything that is ‘innovative’ and ‘rebellious’.

Famous artists like Andy Warhol, Duchamp Gilbert and designers like Victor Roth and Marcela Westwood are Le Fil’s main influences.

“I take inspiration from anywhere and everywhere,” he said.

“I’ve covered myself in clay in clingfilm. I’ve covered myself in mud, trees, anything! The craziest thing I’ve taken inspiration from is rice. I’ve made outfits out of rice and sculptures. Steamed, boiled rice… I love it - it’s a big part of my culture.”

Even though there is no drag scene in Brighouse, Le Fil says that it ‘spawned’ him and series one finalist Divina de Campo who is also from Yorkshire. Le Fil and Divina both took part in the same school choir.

“I’m proud of my Yorkshire roots, in fact the look I’m wearing now, is a homage to the Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band. Brass bands and now drag queens are big in Yorkshire.”

When discussing his greatest strengths in the competition, Le Fil said: “I have a lot of drag skills required of a Drag Race Superstar. I can sing, I can write songs, I can act, I can dance, I can style, and I can create.

“My strength in this competition is my eye for detail. I have studied hard to get here. I take notes and I’m going to use all my knowledge to beat the other queens.

“The other queens might underestimate me. They might not even see me because I’m only two foot four. But there is no way that I will fade into the background.

“I am so excited to be one of the queens of Drag Race UK series four. I cannot wait to bring you the looks, the energy, the optimism and the smiles.”