
Tribute film about The Vivienne to air this summer, BBC says
A coroner ruled that the performer's death was by misadventure when Williams suffered cardiorespiratory arrest after taking ketamine.
The superstar rose to fame after winning the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2019 and came third in the 2023 series of Dancing On Ice.
Williams, who was born in Wales, adopted the drag name as they were known for wearing Vivienne Westwood clothing.
Through a blend of interviews, family photos, home videos and behind-the-scenes Drag Race footage, the film will celebrate The Vivienne's life charting their journey from North Wales and Liverpool through to the global stage.
The film will also include interviews with Williams' family, early mentors and Drag Race friends including Baga Chipz, Michael Marouli and Danny Beard.
Tia Kofi will also feature in the film along with Cheryl Hole, Raja, Monet X Change, and Trinity The Tuck, as they pay tribute to the drag star.
The film also touches on the star's self-confessed struggle with ketamine addiction and the campaigning done by The Vivienne's sister, Chanel Williams, who argues for better awareness around the dangers of the drug.
Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, co-founders of World of Wonder, who produced the film, said: 'We wanted to celebrate The Vivienne and not just mourn her.
'Although she left us far too soon her life was defined by her breathtaking talent, scene-stealing charisma, and infinite kindness.
'We hope her vision and her voice shine through in Dear Viv and that it inspires everyone who watches it.
'Although producing it was bittersweet, we are so grateful to friends and family for trusting us to tell The Vivienne's story. Above all, we hope Viv loves the film as much as we loved her.'
Nasfim Haque, head of content for BBC Three: 'Dear Viv is a fitting tribute to The Vivienne who truly was a trailblazer in the world of drag. She showcased her artistry and talent brilliantly and paved the way for many to follow in her footsteps.'
The hour-long feature film will be available to watch on BBC Three and iPlayer on August 28.
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