PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT CROCKETT

“Boris [Johnson] is always an easy target. Those jokes write themselves!” says Bianca Del Rio. “The garden party fiasco, which honestly kills me. Only a man like him would go there and say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know it was a party!’ Really queen?” We’re chatting with Bianca about her new world tour, Unsanitized, which sees the beloved insult comic reflect on the horrors of COVID, modern drag and the various scandals of the country she’s in at the time.

“You know there’s going to be some Prince Andrew jokes at the show,” Bianca says of her UK material. “No one is safe. I do find it awfully convenient that the Queen got COVID after she paid 12 million… Let’s just call it, let’s just call it. There’s always a joke in something and I’m a firm believer in, ‘You have to laugh because you’re going to die anyway and you might as well die laughing.’”

Since conquering the sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2014, Bianca has ruled various corners of the entertainment industry. In addition to Unsanitized, the self-described “clown in a gown” has headlined two beloved comedies, Hurricane Bianca and its sequel – with a third on the way! – published a book and made her West End debut in the critically-acclaimed musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. She also made herstory as the first drag entertainer to headline Wembley Arena (no biggie!).

Ahead of Unsanitized’s UK debut (you can buy tickets here!), Bianca caught up with GAY TIMES to discuss the hilarious new show, what’s currently missing from mainstream drag and why Madonna’s Instagram feed is “the gift that keeps on giving”. Remember: no one is safe.

Bianca Del Rio! How are you?

I’m well! I’m about to hit the road and I’ve got to sell tickets, that’s why we’re chatting!

Where are you at the moment? Are you at home in Palm Springs?

Yes, I just got home! I was in Los Angeles doing Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. We ended on Sunday and I am here at home packing to head back on the road next week to start Unsanitized, which starts in Canada, then Latin America then all over the UK and Europe. Then, we’ll be announcing Australia and Asia and Poland and Amsterdam and Tel Aviv, which takes me all the way into September. I’m planning for the long haul at the moment! I’m enjoying the sunshine at home with my dogs for a couple of days.

Congratulations on finishing the US leg of Jamie. What was it like bringing this quintessentially British show to the States and sharing this incredible experience with the cast?

It’s just amazing on every level. I’m very lucky to get these amazing opportunities, but I have to give much credit to the director Johnny B who reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, I want you to play this part!’ about three years ago. I immediately was thrown into thinking, ‘What? How? Who? What?’ I hadn’t done theatre in years! I guess drag is considered somewhat theatrical, but as far as being part of a company and being part of a show, I had a lot of questions. I was a little concerned whether I wanted to do it or not, thinking, ‘Do I want to stop my life to do a show on the West End?’ Johnny B said, ‘I refuse to take no for an answer.’ How do you say no to a show in the West End? You get this amazing chance to work with an amazing talented group of people, so I couldn’t say no! So, to be a part of it and to go back to it again has just been unbelievable. To be a part of a company that is so gifted and talented, and generous… Mr Layton Williams is one of the most generous performers you could ever work with. It was magic, and to see this group of people that, majority of them had never been to America, much less come to Los Angeles, was surreal. It was that moment of, ‘Oh my god, here they are, some of them 18/19, some of them under 30, that had never experienced America on this level.’  Then on a serious note, what’s great about the story is that it can pretty much fit anywhere. Even though it is British, the story and the message is there for all to see. I was very happy and honoured, honestly, to share it with people in America. Also, all of my cheap friends who couldn’t come to London to see it had an opportunity to finally see the show!