- EW’s first look at Dear Viv includes interviews with The Vivienne’s family and friends.
- The Vivienne died in January after winning RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and competing on All Stars 7.
- “The Vivienne was British drag with this modern polish,” Tia Kofi says in the clip.
The RuPaul’s Drag Race community is still reeling from the January death of The Vivienne, and several queens have united to share memories of their late friend in Entertainment Weekly‘s exclusive first look at a new documentary honoring the life of the Drag Race UK season 1 winner.
With the blessing of The Vivienne’s family, Drag Race production company World of Wonder assembled many of the drag superstar’s closest colleagues for tearful interviews in the new film, including her All Stars 7 sister Raja, Drag Race UK season 1 castmates Cheryl Hole and Baga Chipz, and fellow Drag Race UK alums Tia Kofi and Danny Beard.
Amid shots of The Vivienne’s family getting emotional over the drag entertainer’s memory, the clip below also shows Raja, who won Drag Race season 3, attempting to hold back tears while preparing to speak to the cameras for an interview.
Danny, winner of Drag Race UK season 4, is also shown breaking down when prompted to speak about the late queen.
“The Vivienne was British drag with this modern polish,” Tia says later in the footage, which also includes never-before-seen clips from The Vivienne’s childhood and early days on the drag circuit.
World of Wonder/BBC
Later, Baga, who competed with The Vivienne on Drag Race UK season 1, praises her friend’s approach to the art form.
“If you’re gorge and you’re talented, you’ve got nothing to prove,” Baga says to the camera.
The preview closes with a message from Viv herself, sho says, “It’s really nice to show people that you are a real person under all that glamor.”
In a second preview (below), The Vivienne’s loved ones break down her audition tape for Drag Race UK season 1, which features an early version of her eventual scene-stealing Snatch Game celebrity impersonation performance as Donald Trump.
In a release about the Dear Viv documentary earlier this year, a synopsis indicated that the film will “detail the life and legacy of The Vivienne and pay tribute to the beloved drag superstar who left an indelible mark on the world,” through a “compelling blend of archival footage, intimate interviews with loved ones,” and “deeply personal letters from fans” that trace The Vivienne’s “journey from humble beginnings in North Wales to their meteoric rise” to worldwide stardom.
World of Wonder/BBC
“We want to celebrate The Vivienne’s extraordinary life and work so everyone can experience her incredible talent, sass and enormous heart,” producers Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey said in a press statement. “Although her stay here on earth was far too brief it is with tremendous admiration and affection that we share her legacy in Dear Viv.”
The Vivienne died Jan. 5 at age 32 following usage of the drug ketamine, her former publicist, Simon Jones, revealed after the queen’s death.
“We hope that by us releasing this information we can raise awareness about the dangers of ongoing ketamine usage and what it can do [to] your body,” Jones wrote on his Instagram Story at the time. “Ketamine usage is on the rise, particularly amongst young people, and I don’t think the full dangers of the drug are being discussed.”
RuPaul, who previously named The Vivienne as the official Drag Race ambassador to the United Kingdom prior to her competing on UK season 1, also remembered the queen in a heartfelt social media post.
“With a broken heart, I join the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne,” RuPaul wrote online, finishing his post by calling the late star “an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being.”
World of Wonder/BBC
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Dear Viv premieres Aug. 28 on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom, with a global debut in other territories on the WOW Presents Plus subscription streaming app.
Watch EW’s exclusive clips from Dear Viv above.
