River Medway (drag queen)

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River Medway
Born
Dexter Clift

(1998-04-08) 8 April 1998 (age 26)
Medway, Kent, England
EducationMillennium Performing Arts
OccupationDrag queen
Known forRuPaul's Drag Race UK
Notable workRuPaul's Drag Race UK
TelevisionRuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 3)
Websiteriver-medway.com

Dexter Clift (born 8 April 1998),[1] known professionally as River Medway, is an English drag queen who is best known for competing on the third series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2021.

Career[edit]

In 2021, River Medway was announced as one of the drag queens competing in the third series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK. During her time on the show, River Medway's runway look inspired by Thomas Fletcher Waghorn gained comedy attention on social media.[2][3] She also discussed her mother dying from COVID-19, and revealed that she received a call for the show not long after her death.[4][5] River Medway was eliminated from the competition following the Snatch Game episode, alongside Choriza May after a lip sync to "Shout" resulted in RuPaul deciding to eliminate both of them in a double elimination.[6][7][8]

In 2022, River Medway embarked on the RuPaul's Drag Race UK: The Official Tour alongside her fellow cast members.[9][10] Later that year, River Medway joined the cast of the show Death Drop: Back in the Habit, alongside Drag Race alumni Victoria Scone, Willam Belli, and Cheryl Hole.[11] The show played at the Garrick Theatre followed by a UK Tour in 2023. In October 2023, it was announced River Medway had been cast as Ariel in the parody musical "Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch".[12] The show played for 10 weeks at Southwark Playhouse and is currently touring the UK.

Personal life[edit]

Dexter Clift was born in Medway, Kent. The name of his drag persona comes from the River Medway that flows through his hometown.[13]

Filmography[edit]

Television[edit]

Year Title Notes Ref
2021 RuPaul's Drag Race UK Contestant Series 3 (6th/7th Place) [14]

Stage[edit]

Year Title Promoter Locations Ref
2022 RuPaul's Drag Race UK: The Official Tour Voss Events / World of Wonder Ipswich, Oxford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Nottingham, Bournemouth, Southend, Manchester, Sheffield, Blackpool, Llandudno, Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Plymouth, London, Derby, Bristol, Bradford, Aberdeen, Southampton, Stockton, Brighton and Newport [9]
Death Drop: Back in the Habit Trafalgar Entertainment/TuckShop Garrick Theatre [15]
2022-23 Death Drop: Back in the Habit [UK TOUR] Trafalgar Entertainment/TuckShop Bromley, Dartford, High Wycombe, Cardiff, Crewe, Brighton, Sheffield, Leicester and Aberdeen [15]
2023 Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch Wildpark Entertainment Southwark Playhouse - London
2024 Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch [UK TOUR] Wildpark Entertainment Salford, Liverpool, Aberdeen, Crawley, Bradford, Leicester, Birmingham, Peterborough, Oxford, Glasgow, Cardiff, Blackpool, Southend-on-Sea, Exeter, York, Bromley, Nottingham, Newcastle upon Tyne, Southampton and Wolverhampton

References[edit]

  1. ^ @river_medway (8 April 2022). "thank you everyone for the birthday messages! today i'm 24 years old and very grateful for my life and proud of all my accomplishments" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "Queen's Thomas Waghorn drag is 'iconic'". Kent Online. 24 September 2021. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Drag Race UK's River Medway couldn't do original Snatch Game choices". Attitude.co.uk. 1 November 2021.
  4. ^ "BBC Three - RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Series 3, Episode 4, You've helped so many people, River Medway". BBC. 18 October 2021. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Drag Race UK's River Medway opens up about losing her mum to Covid-19". Attitude.co.uk. 15 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Drag Race Debrief: River Medway on her shock elimination and the challenge she missed this year". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  7. ^ "How Choriza May & River Medway Felt About Their Double Elimination". www.out.com. 1 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Drag Race UK's River Medway on "BDE", backstage drama, and living her truth". Digital Spy. 29 October 2021. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  9. ^ a b "RuPaul's Drag Race UK Tour". Voss Events. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Exclusive: River Medway "loved every minute" of shock Drag Race UK exit". GAY TIMES. 29 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Drag Race's River Medway and Victoria Scone to join the cast of Death Drop: Back In The Habit | London Theatre Direct". www.londontheatredirect.com. 30 September 2022. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  12. ^ https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/unfortunate-the-untold-story-of-ursula-the-sea-witch-reveals-cast-for-new-london-run-and-uk-tour_1538129/
  13. ^ "River Medway reveals all following drag race elimination". Kent Online. 1 November 2021. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Who is River Medway? Meet RuPaul's Drag Race UK star and Hannah Montana super-fan". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Drag Race stars sign up for Death Drop: Back in the Habit tour". Digital Spy. 1 October 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.