Documentary to honour life and legacy of The Vivienne

By Kerri-Ann Roper, PA Entertainment Editor

A new documentary to celebrate the “life and legacy” of drag star The Vivienne is in production, it has been announced.

James Lee Williams, who won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK under their stage name The Vivienne, died at the age of 32 in January.

Titled Dear Viv, the documentary will be produced by World of Wonder, the media company behind the popular Drag Race franchise.

World of Wonder co-founders and executive producers Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey said: “We want to celebrate The Vivienne’s extraordinary life and work so everyone can experience her incredible talent, sass and enormous heart.

“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.”

Dear Viv will feature archive footage, letters from fans, and interviews with The Vivienne’s loved ones, including Baga Chipz, who starred alongside them in the first series of UK Drag Race.

Fellow drag performers Michael Marouli and Danny Beard, the stage name of Daniel Curtis, will also appear in the documentary as it “sensitively traces James’s journey from humble beginnings in North Wales to their meteoric rise on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK”.

Williams, who grew up in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, before moving to Liverpool, won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019 and came third in the 2023 edition of ITV’s Dancing On Ice.

The star performed as the Wicked Witch of the West in a UK and Ireland tour of The Wizard Of Oz musical and reprised the role at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London’s West End last year.

Last week The Vivienne was honoured with a posthumous icon award at the inaugural Metro Pride Awards.

Their funeral was held in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, North Wales, in January.

– Dear Viv will premiere on streaming service WOW Presents Plus later this year.