The Vivienne was on the cusp of the biggest year of their life in 2025.
Their career was entering a whole new league. Riding high off the success of a hugely popular tour in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Wizard of Oz, the world was finally paying attention to this drag queen who was far more than enormous hair and dangerously high heels.
They were a talent destined for more than just gay bars—Viv was headed for the West End, Broadway, and beyond.
But The Vivienne’s life was tragically cut short at age 32, on January 5.
Viv—real name James Lee Williams—died from misadventure after suffering cardiac arrest from taking ketamine, a drug they had candidly admitted they’d been addicted to since their hedonistic early years performing in Liverpool’s club scene.
Just eight months after their death, a new documentary exploring Viv’s extraordinary character, success, and the bright future they were building is set to air on BBC Three.
Titled Dear Viv, the documentary features raw, emotional interviews with her family and friends—celebrating one of the most pivotal drag artists in recent memory, while also acknowledging her demons.
Filming began somewhat accidentally, just five days after Viv’s body was discovered, as the drag community reeled in shock.
It was DragCon—the annual event that unites fans and their drag idols—typically a highlight during the otherwise gloomy days of early January. It’s meant to be a celebration, but this year, it felt impossible to celebrate. Viv was supposed to be there, centre stage.
‘Everyone was in a state of shock,’ says Fenton Bailey, co-creator of RuPaul’s Drag Race, who was at the event, speaking with grieving queens and fans who left heartfelt messages in a memorial booth called Dear Viv.
A week earlier, Viv had been alive—now, a documentary about her life and death was already in motion. “It was seeing that come together, and feeling the outpouring of grief, that we thought, you know, we really should document this.”
The film will be released on BBC Three at the end of August. Bailey, who worked closely with Viv on numerous projects in the five years since they won the first-ever RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, recalls their final conversation: the plans that were in motion for Viv, just weeks before her passing.
‘Viv called me up and said, “There’s a role I want to play in a movie, and I want you to make it: Pete Burns, Dead or Alive.” We were in the early stages of putting that film together.’
Viv was unrivalled when it came to impersonations—her Donald Trump is Snatch Game legend. But calling them impersonations almost undersells them.
They didn’t just imitate; they embodied queer icons like Kim Woodburn, Cilla Black, and Patsy Stone. A Pete Burns biopic starring Viv could have been game-changing.
“It would have been absolutely perfect, and I just feel only Viv could tell that incredible story,” Bailey says.
‘It’s almost like a doppelgänger. It’s not an actor playing the part—it’s like a spiritual twin. There are brilliant acts out there, but it had to be The Vivienne.’
Dear Viv is a delicately balanced tribute—saluting Viv’s unstoppable career, astronomical ambition, and the joy and hope they brought to so many lives, while also confronting her death with unflinching honesty.
Viv’s parents, Lee and Caroline Williams, and her sister Chanel remember the little boy James, who, even as a child, found the camera irresistible. So soon after his death, they speak openly about the shock and heartbreak surrounding it.
It’s perhaps a testament to Drag Race that so many of its contestants have felt safe enough to share stories they’ve kept buried—even from those closest to them.
Viv was one of those contestants, revealing on national television that they were a drug addict—before telling her family. ‘It was the easiest way I could have done it,’ they later explained. ‘I couldn’t have done it to their face.’
‘He held that from us to protect us,’ Chanel says, through tears. Moments later, she somehow finds the strength to describe the moment she found her brother’s body: ‘He looked really peaceful.’
It’s an extraordinary thing to share so publicly, in the greatest depths of grief.
‘I’d understand if in that moment they didn’t want to participate in this film,’ says Fenton.
‘We’re so honoured that they agreed to. Their love for their child is so powerful. And that’s what so many kids need to hear—we all hope for parents who are supportive. I can’t imagine how they were so open.’
Viv’s family, especially her sister, is now campaigning to reclassify ketamine from a Class B to a Class A drug in the UK. Illegal use of the drug reached record levels in the year ending March 2023, with an estimated 299,000 people aged 16 to 59 reporting use in that year alone.
Even in death, The Vivienne might still save lives if her family succeeds. But Fenton wants to make one thing clear: Viv’s legacy is not defined by addiction. Even in the depths of relapse, Viv brought joy—and her talent never faltered. They weren’t defined by her demons. They thrived despite them.
‘We tend to feel badly about addicts—we pity them. But Viv wasn’t any more wounded than the rest of us. Her strength of character, her compassion, her emotional generosity—those were real and genuine. Those were the dominant pieces of her character.
‘I wouldn’t want to focus on addiction as some disease in the face of which she was helpless—because it wasn’t like that. She owned it.”
I wonder how Viv would have felt watching the film—so much love and affection poured out for her. So many hearts broken by a world without her in it.
‘I think inwardly she’d be deeply touched,’ Bailey smiles. ‘But she’d probably blow it off with some flippant comment—I don’t know what that line would be, but it would be f**king brilliant.’
Dear Viv airs August 28 on BBC Three and will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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