Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Scott Bryan

‘Stunning, but so wrong’: inside raucous new drag sitcom Smoggie Queens

‘Calling us Smoggies as a bit of an insult … but we reclaimed the name’, says Phil Dunning.
‘Calling us Smoggies as a bit of an insult … but we reclaimed the name’, says Phil Dunning. Photograph: Lara Cornell/BBC/Hat Trick Productions

Most sitcoms don’t imply that the lead character has died twice in the first 15 minutes. Most sitcoms don’t have an entire episode spoofing the film Titanic. And, even if they did, most sitcoms would not dress one of the main characters as the iceberg.

But Smoggie Queens is not like other comedies. BBC Three’s new series is a surreal, deadpan and occasionally very rude tale of primarily LGBTQ+ friends who hang out under the same roof. It takes the model of a traditional family sitcom and refocuses it around a “chosen family” of people from different generations.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.