Smoggie Queens brings a big-hearted queer comedy to Middlesbrough, following drag queen Dickie, played by Phil Dunning, drag mother Mam, played by Mark Benton, Lucinda, played by Alexandra Mardell, Sal, played by Patsy Lowe, and Stewart, played by Elijah Young. They form a wonderfully messy chosen family, navigating break-ups, bad dates, drag brunches, secrets and the kind of drama that only happens when everyone knows far too much about each other.
Rather than setting its queer story in London, Manchester or another familiar TV hotspot, Smoggie Queens gives the Boro its own comedy world, full of local pride, deadpan humour and tacky glamour. “Smoggie”, for anyone outside Teesside, is a nickname for someone from Middlesbrough.
The series begins with Dickie getting dumped by his boyfriend, Harrison (Peter McPherson), before making a spectacularly ill-advised attempt to win him back. It goes about as well as expected. From there, the show opens out into an ensemble comedy about friendship, loneliness, confidence and the people who become your family when life does not quite go to plan.
Phil Dunning is brilliant as Dickie, a drag queen whose self-belief is wildly out of proportion with his actual talent. He is vain, dramatic and often deeply unreasonable, but there is something oddly endearing about him too. Dunning gives him just enough vulnerability beneath the eye-rolls and insults to stop him becoming a one-note nightmare.
Mark Benton is a joy as Mam, almost unrecognisable and completely committed. Mam could easily have been played as a broad gag, but Benton gives the character a lot of warmth and authority. There’s also a real sense of history, you believe this is someone who has held people together for years, even when she is being wonderfully ridiculous.
The rest of the group are just as important to why the show works. Lucinda brings big hun energy and a lot of loyalty, Sal brings the wonderfully weird, and Stewart’s coming-out journey gives the first series its most emotional thread. His arrival into the group lets the show explore queer friendship across generations without making it feel too neat or preachy.
There are some great guest appearances too, including Michelle Visage as Elaine, an uptight office assistant and a proper treat for Drag Race fans, Charlotte Riley as Sal’s toxic girlfriend Danni, Steph McGovern and Bill Fellows. The cameos never feel like empty stunt casting, they fit into the slightly heightened world of the show, where a Titanic-themed drag brunch, a murder mystery night and a full emotional spiral over daytime telly can all sit quite happily beside each other.
What makes Smoggie Queens so enjoyable is how specific it feels. It understands the appeal of British camp culture without turning it into a museum exhibit. There are nods to Lorraine Kelly, Girls Aloud, Bargain Hunt and B*Witched, but the references are not doing all the heavy lifting. The heart of the show is the group itself, and the way they bicker, protect each other and turn every minor inconvenience into an event.
It is also refreshing to see a queer sitcom that is allowed to be this regional. The show does not treat Middlesbrough as a backdrop to escape from, it makes the town part of the humour and identity. That gives Smoggie Queens a flavour that feels different from a lot of recent British comedy.
For CultureCues, season one is a proper little gem. It is funny and full of personality, the cast make the group feel instantly lived-in, and the show celebrates chosen family without making it feel overly polished or sentimental. By the end of the series, this lot may be chaotic and exhausting, but you absolutely want to be invited to their next drag brunch.
Smoggie Queens season one is available now on BBC iPlayer.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.