RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 4: start date, judges and first look as the competition returns

RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 4 kicks off soon where we'll meet a new set of queens hoping to win the coveted title of Best Drag Superstar by going head-to-head on the runway and in the werk room.

Global drag icon and judge supremo RuPaul will preside over the competition as the twelve fabulous queens try to impress RuPaul enough to avoid being in the bottom two.

We've now learned the identity of this year's queens, all of whom will be desperate to follow in the footsteps of previous winners The Vivienne, Laurence Chaney and Krystal Vercase. As ever, only one of them can be the winner!

The BBC has teased that fans should expect "more death drops, tricks, splits and stunning looks across 10 fabulous weeks", and we don't have long to wait either as the release date will soon be upon us.

Here's everything you need to know...

 RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 4 release date

RuPaul's Drag Race UK is back on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on Thursday, September 22 and will run for 10 weeks.

Who are the queens for RuPaul's Drag Race UK series 4?

BBC Three has released a teaser giving us our first look at the drag queens who'll be participating in show this time around. Get your first glimpse at their skills below:

Who are the judges for RuPaul's Drag Race UK series 4? 

RuPaul is back with his trusted judging panel made up of Michelle Visage, Alan Carr, Graham Norton, and there are some fabulous guest judges lined up for this season too.

Who are the celebrity guest judges for RuPaul's Drag Race UK series 4? 

As the fabulous drag queens compete to become Best Drag Superstar, the judging panel will be joined by an array of exciting celebrity friends to help them make their all-important decisions.

The celebrity guest judges are:

• Actress and activist Dame Joanna Lumley
• TV presenter Alison Hammond
• Actress Hannah Waddingham
• Singer-songwriter Boy George
• Fashion model and celebrity chef Lorraine Pascale
• Spice Girls member Mel B
• Model, presenter and influencer Leomie Anderson
• Singer and actor Olly Alexander
• Singer-songwriter FKA twigs

There are additional celebrity guest appearances throughout the weekly challenges, with TV presenters Tess Daly and AJ Odudu making their drag race debut, along with comedian and actress Aisling Bea, singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis and Strictly Come Dancing pro Giovanni Pernice all offering their expertise to the queens in different challenges.

Is there a trailer? 

Although it's only a short 10 second teaser clip, it's enough to get the glitter running through our veins and impatiently wait for them to bring it to the runway!

At the end of the clip, we also hear RuPaul's mischievous laugh, as well as a montage of clips with lights, floaty fabrics and glitter all preparing us for the new series.