In the UK, drag kings are now beginning to catch up with the queens as they get booked to perform at more mixed cabaret shows and run their own club nights. The Glory, an LGBT venue in east London, is currently midway through the second series of its weekly drag king talent contest, Man Up!. "I felt like we were doing a lot of drag performance that basically just featured gay men and I wanted to cast the net a little wider and encourage more female performers," The Glory's co-owner Jonny Woo explains. "I was surprised at how immediately popular it was. Last year's contest was basically a test to see if there was a demand for it, and we got a massive response so we've brought it back. This time there are six heats, twice as many as last year, and we've doubled the cash prize to £1,000."

I've been invited to serve as the first heat's guest judge, but within half an hour of arriving at The Glory I've lost all claim to impartiality by chatting to two of the contestants backstage. A drag king called Richard Von Wild tells me he's having a second stab at Man Up! after being beaten in the final last year, while another, Georgeous Michael, says he's performing in drag tonight for the first time ever. "I was inspired to try it for myself after I came to watch the competition last year," he explains. "I've been interested in drag culture for a long time but last year's Man Up! was the first time I'd seen drag kings taking centre stage, as opposed to being just one performer on a bill. That was really empowering so I thought I'd give it a go."