‘I was 100 per cent misunderstood’: Copper Topp on her Drag Race UK elimination

Well, we’ve seen our third queen sadly sashay away from Drag Race UK season four – and this time it was the turn of the self-proclaimed “ginger fagulous” Copper Topp.

After emerging with a badge following her group win in the girl groups challenge last week, it was a rough week for ol’ Copper. The queens all voted her as the most fading into the background in the shady NAFTAs mini challenge, and then began a design challenge with Cheddar Gorgeous that saw Copper’s look not hit hard with the judges… mostly because of some ill-fated white boots. Fresh from the sad elimination, I hopped on a Zoom to get the lowdown with Copper Topp and how she’s feeling after her Drag Race UK elimination.

I’ll be speaking to every queen this season after they’ve been eliminated, so make sure you check The Tab on Friday afternoons to read up on our kiki!

‘I was 100 per cent misunderstood sometimes’

Hey Copper Topp, great to speak to you, how are you?

I’m good babes! Better for seeing your gorgeous faces today.

Haha! So let’s get into it – how was it watching that episode back?

It’s been strange to relive the whole thing. I think the weird thing is you remember it and then watching it back suddenly like all the trauma comes back! No, I’m joking. I enjoyed watching it, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I had a lovely time with Cheddar and I think that comes through, and I really enjoyed our presentation on the runway.

Yes the judges hated the white boots, but I think the episode as a whole? She was a lead character and then she died at the end! All good!

What was the hardest part of your Drag Race UK experience?

Time! RUNNING OUT OF TIME! It’s such a hotbox of emotions and running out of time gets you in your head. As we all know, the head is the most negative voice sometimes and that can get in the way. I think battling your inner saboteur as RuPaul says is a very real thing when you’re on Drag Race.

Did you agree with the critiques you got on the show? Or did you feel like you were maybe misunderstood or underestimated?

Yeah, 100 per cent misunderstood. Let’s take my first runway, the Ru Are You: Walking down the runway you don’t always expect that its going to be 100 per cent about fashion. I thought about drag. And there’s so many different sides to drag. There’s no one way of doing drag. There’s no rulebook, necessarily. It’s about doing what you want.

I will never wear white boots again, that’s for sure. But at the same time, we were going for the Barbarella 60s/70s vibe – she wore a lot of white boots and there was a reasoning behind it!

‘Snatch Game? I was gonna give you Anne Boleyn’

I feel in my gut that you would have slayed Snatch Game and that we’ve all been robbed of an iconic impersonation – so PLEASE tell us who you planned to do!

100 per cent, baby! She’s an actress, she’s a comedy queen – I was gonna give you Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn, but with the voice and personality of Anne from Six the Musical.

I had other Snatch Games lined up like Linda La Hughes, but my performance of that would never be spot on. But we can use our comedy chops and acting ability and breathe life into characters that are historical and they end up doing very well – I did my Snatch Game research!

How’s your relationship been with the other queens, are you a close cast?

We’re a sisterhood through and through. Not only because we’ve experienced this journey together, but it’s great that we’re able to extend our queer chosen family and it’s nicer to have that better and bigger than before. We always call each other and meet up for coffee, and check in with each other. They’re sisters for life.

Are there any memories that you remember from your time on the show that didn’t make the edit?

I think a lot of the intimate conversations, because you do have those moments with all the queens and not all of them can make the edit. And that’s fine, because everyone’s got different stories. But I had some lovely moments with Black Peppa talking about relationships, I had lovely moments with Cheddar talking about different types of drag and things happening for us in our careers later on in life.

Those things will always be in my mind. They didn’t make the edit, but they’ll always be with me.

‘Would Peppa be my choice to take the crown? Absolutely’

You said to Black Peppa as you sashayed away that you want her to go on and win it, is she your choice to get that crown?

Absolutely. I love Peppa and we get on really well. I know she would have felt awful being in the bottom, and of course you win a lip sync and your safe but that feeling is still pretty heavy when it’s a close shave. I think she’s a superstar and I wanted her to know in that moment that she’s got what it takes.

If it helped rev up her engines for the next episode then great. We’ve got to support each other.

I’ve got to ask – what was it like getting the dreaded NAFTA award?

It was not fair. Here’s the thing, we’re not all constantly loud and filling the space with chat all the time. And I think that’s okay. as performances we are all different. We’re not all loudmouths, and we can turn it on when we need to. I showed the queens that I turned it on in performance. The energy’s always there, I’m in time with the choreography.

Being quieter isn’t a bad thing. And I think saying to someone because you are quieter doesn’t mean you are going to fade into the background and be less of a star. I think they were all shady ladies for voting, I refused to vote because I thought it was nasty.

You must have seen the controversy this week surrounding Ella Henderson’s appearance at a certain party conference – how did it feel watching back a lip sync to her song? Which must have been the worst coincidental timing in herstory, by the way!

Yeah, here’s the thing – I love Ella Henderson, and I think she’s got a great voice. Do I think this was the wrong move? 100 per cent – this would get a boot from me. I don’t know what her political persuasion is but I think if you’re going to be an ally and take money from Pride events, then just step gently, my love.

It’s not something I agree with. I wish her well and let’s give her an opportunity to explain herself. But yeah, when I saw that and I knew this episode was coming up I was like, NOT THIS. I go home and I’ve gotta do a song by Ella Henderson.

So  – Drag Race UK is dong with Copper Topp, what’s next for you in the future!?

So, I’ve just released my single Weirdo which is available on all music platforms and that is my anthem for the queers. I’m obsessed with it, it’s a bit punk rock. Everyone knows I’m a pantomime queen and a camp queen, but since finishing the show I am way more angry with the world! I’m exploring my punk stage and loving it!

The music video is coming out on my YouTube soon, so subscribe! Also, I’ve teamed up with some amazing drag artists and we’re putting together a drag comedy sketch show. I’m looking at you BBC Three, if you want to commission that! But it’s starting on YouTube first!

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season four continues on BBC Three and iPlayer Thursdays at 9pm.Watch the full Meet the Queens here.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Just May on what it’s like to be the first Drag Race UK season four queen to sashay away

• Starlet was the second queen to sashay away last night, here’s what she has to say about it

• Pixie Polite from Drag Race UK was in a relationship with season two queen Tia Kofi