Waterloo Road icon unrecognisable as flamboyant drag queen in unbelievable pics

Camp comedy is coming to Teesside in Smoggie Queens – a slapstick sitcom about an eclectic group of friends who are fiercely proud of their small LGBTQ+ community. Creator and comedian Phil Dunning stars as the glamorous gang’s self-obsessed leader Dickie, while ’s takes on the transformative role of drag queen Mam – and couldn’t look more different.

“I’ve never played anything like this,” the 59-year-old Northern Lights star says. “It took two hours to get into drag, so it was tiring for an old codger like me, but so worth it. When your costume is on, you can do things that you don’t normally do. You look so different, you get away with more! The nails changed the way I held my hands. Once the nails were on, I was ready.”

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Former star plays the lavish Lucinda, Vera’s Patsy Lowe is quiet tomboy Sal and newcomer Elijah Young takes on the role of “baby gay” Stewart, who is new to the local queer community. Born and raised in the North East, Phil says it was vital the series was filmed on his home patch. “It wasn’t an option to film anywhere else,” he adds. “It had to be Middlesbrough. Normally, it’s programmes dedicated to finding the worst place to live in Britain, or crime documentaries. Smoggie Queens is a love letter to the town and highlights the warmth and humour of the people who live there.”

As for what a “smoggie queen” is, Phil explains, “Somebody who’s a weirdo, who doesn’t conform. An outsider and ideally somebody from Teesside but that’s not a prerequisite. We’re inclusive.” From holding a fab funeral for Dickie’s latest break-up to headlining at Middlesbrough Pride, the Smoggie Queens find themselves in all sorts of shenanigans. But, ultimately, the comedy is about finding your people. “Chosen family can be everything to a queer person,” Phil says. “Growing up, we feel different. To find others who accept you for who you are can be a lifeline.

"It’d be lovely for an audience to feel like they want to hang out with the queens. Each of the gang is so different and they all have their own individual quirks and characteristics. Hopefully an audience would relate to at least one of them. Just like the Spice Girls."

Smoggie Queens begins on Thursday 28th November at 10:10pm on BBC Three.

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