A young drag performer from North Wales earned praise from Mama Ru as their RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 6 journey came to an end this week.

Regarded as an unpredictable extravaganza, the reality show is deeply entrenched in camp, British pop culture and famous for its endless twists.

The sixth season has seen a fresh set of incredible drag queens battling for the coveted title of The UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar.

21-year-old queen Actavia is from Bala, but now lives and works in Manchester.

On this week's episode, RuPaul was full of praise for Actavia.

RuPaul said: "I don't know what it is about you, but I just love you. I love you so much.

"Whatever you do, you just go for it. It's very endearing.

"I think you're the bee's knees. I really do."

The Bala queen was left speechless by the comments.

During the show, Actavia performed as Spice Girl Geri Halliwell in the celebration of British queens of pop.

Actavia then joined the other queens to give a Princess Diana runway look, a look the judges agreed was "a bit blah!".

They ended up in the bottom two, losing the closely-contested lip sync challenge to Manchester queen Lill.

Leaving the show, Actavia described the experience as "unforgettable" and hoped they had made their family and hometown proud.

Although leaving the show, effectively finishing in seventh place, Actavia's star has risen. 

Among other commitments, they will appear alongside four other Season 6 queens in the Dracula's Child cabaret show that will tour the UK in 2025.

Actavia is the second queen from North Wales to appear on the show, following in the high heels of Season One winner The Vivienne, originally from Colwyn Bay, who is now a West End star in their own right.

(Image: BBC Media Centre)

Welsh queens have been few in number - Tayce and Victoria Scone both hail from South Wales - but have been some of the franchise's most memorable characters.

Marmalade, from Cardiff, is also one of the 12 queens due to appear in the upcoming season.

The successful show is a World of Wonder production for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer, commissioned by Fiona Campbell and Kalpna Patel-Knight, and executive produced by Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, RuPaul Charles, Bruce McCoy, and Johnni Javier, among others.

Meet Actavia

The BBC Media Centre interviewed each of the 12 hopefuls for Meet the Queens:

Tell us about yourself!

Hello! I’m Actavia, I am 21 years old, and I'm from a tiny little town in North Wales called Bala but I now live in Manchester. Bring on the Welsh!

How does it feel to be a Ru girl?

This is literally like a dream come true. It's such a cliché thing to say but I just can’t believe it’s real and that I’m here.

How long have you been doing drag?

I quickly became obsessed with all things drag around five years ago when I was 16 years old however, being from such a small town, drag was never something that was around me. After discovering Drag Race, everything just clicked! I’ve always loved performing and being on stage so I knew drag was for me and here I am!

How would you describe your drag?

I would describe myself as a bit of a chameleon, and I always like to add a villainess look to my drag aesthetic but I’m really approachable – I promise!

What can we expect to see at an Actavia show?

I come alive on stage. If you were to come to an Actavia show, you would see a blend of camp, dancing, energy, and a bit of stupidity. My shows are high energy and you would definitely be out of breath just watching me.

What’s the drag scene like in your hometown of Bala?

It's honestly tiny. I always say the drag scene there is absolutely immaculate - because I AM the drag scene there! There is no other drag queen in my town, as far as I'm aware!

What are you most looking forward to in the competition? 

I’m a dancer so I love anything where I can move my legs. I’m so excited to do anything that’s thrown at me in this competition and grab it by the horns!