Meet the Darlington drag queen swapping suits for sparkles on RuPaul's Drag Race UK

A drag queen from Darlington is set to appear on the new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.

Meet the Darlington drag queen swapping suits for sparkles on RuPaul's Drag Race UK

Meet the Darlington drag queen ditching the boardroom for the main stage as they prepare to appear on the new season of RuPaul's Drag Race UK.

Adam Swainston, 32, who performs under the stage name The Delta Quadrant, will compete in series eight of the hit BBC show, which begins next month.

By day, Adam works in the financial sector, but by night the 32-year-old transforms into a "high-powered" drag persona.

(Image: BBC/WORLD OF WONDER/NICK STRASBURG)

Adam said: "She’s a high-powered, CEO, executive-type.

"She’s made all of her money in New York and she’s heavily money-hungry and heavily delusional.

"In her head she still thinks it’s the 1980s, she’s firmly planted in the past.

"She’s always got a wonderful blonde bob on her head, big glasses, you can always tell who she is."

Adam only began performing in drag in 2023, first appearing as The Delta Quadrant - also known as the 'Deborah Meaden of drag' - at a community event in Darlington.

The 32-year-old said: "Me and my friend got dressed up in silly outfits and I dressed up as The Delta Quadrant for the first time.

(Image: DELTA QUADRANT)

"Then I started to go out in Newcastle dressed up in drag and then someone bought me a bob for my birthday and ever since then the drag character just appeared."

Despite the demanding day job, Adam always finds energy to don the blonde bob.

The drag star said: "Delta has always been my biggest hobby, my biggest passion and no matter how depleted my reserves are at the end of the day, I can always muster up more energy to put coal on the engine of the Delta Quadrant."

The selection process for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK involves submitting a short biography and a video introduction.

Adam said he applied partly as a joke.

"I like to tell people that I applied for the drag race as a bit of a laugh", they said.

"I have a lot of people around me who always tell me, 'you’re such a star, you should go and do it.'

"So, when I put my name down, I thought I’ll do it as a laugh and in my heart, I’ll still know I can do it and I’m good enough to do it.

"Then when the drag race people saw me and liked what they saw it was incredibly validating.

"All of my hard work and all of my talent was seen by people whose job it is to find the best of the best."

(Image: DELTA QUADRANT)

However, filming the show was a very different experience from watching it, Adam said.

"It’s an incredibly different experience filming it than actually watching it as a spectator.

"You’re always watching and thinking you could do better.

"You’re watching through the eye of a critic, but being there and living ever single second, you have no time to think about your next move.

"But it was an incredibly rewarding experience, it was scary, it was exciting and wonderful all rolled into one."

The 32-year-old reflected on the support friends and family have shown The Delta Quadrant.

Adam said: "They couldn't be more proud of me.

"I am surrounded by love.

"All of my friends and family love The Delta Quadrant.

"Sometimes, Adam can get lost because everyone's so starstruck by Delta.

"But everyone loves it to bits and is so supportive of me.

"Since it's been announced that I'm going on the show, the outpouring of love and adoration and messages I've received, even just from the first glimpse of Delta, have been wonderful.

"I'm surrounded by such lovely, positive emotions and it's wonderful, it really is."

The Delta Quadrant has previously performed at The Alphabetti Theatre and The Globe in Newcastle.

Delta will compete against 11 other queens over 10 weeks of challenges, including runway presentations and lip-sync battles.

The winner will take home a £25,000 cash prize, along with the coveted Drag Race crown and sceptre.

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Judges Michelle Visage, Alan Carr, and Graham Norton will return to the panel, joined by a rotating cast of celebrity guest judges.

A 20-minute preview episode, Meet the Queens, is already available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

BBC Drag Race UK will air on September 3 at 10pm.