Over time you hear that this has inspired that but we think this may be a new one as the new Metro trains currently being introduced into service on the Tyne and Wear Metro have apparently inspired a drag artist appearing on the latest series of Ru Paul’s Drag Race for the design of their new dress!
Sally TM, a drag performer from South Shields, wore the Metro inspired dress at the start of the seventh season of the show when it returned to BBC Three on Thursday 25th September 2025. It must have done the trick too as the 27 year old made it through to the second week of the show!
Sally said: “The dress was entirely inspired by the new Metro trains and I hope that the viewers liked it. It was such a huge honour for me to be able to appear on Ru Paul’s Drag Race, which is an iconic show and one that I have always wanted to appear on.
“I’ve lived in South Shields all my life and I always get the Metro to Newcastle to meet friends and get to work. I thought to myself it would be great to pay homage to the Metro as it was the first ultra modern light rail system un the country. I did just that with my lovely yellow dress.
“It’s quite a sleek and modern design that I came up with. It’s like a kind of retro futurism in its appearance. I had this dress made especially for going on the show. I really love the yellow of the Metro and wanted to pay tribute to something which has been so instrumental and iconic in the story of our region.”
Lynne Dickinson, Station Delivery Manager at Nexus, said: “We’re over the moon that Sally was inspired by the new Metro trains with her dress for Ru Paul’s Drag Race. When we heard about this we thought it was fantastic that the famous yellow of the Metro was going to be part of such a massive show – and we have Sally to thank for that.
“In the build up to the broadcast we were delighted to let Sally visit our Nexus Learning Centre in South Shields to see the new Metro train and let her film the video content she was making or her appearance with Ru Paul. Supporting diversity and inclusion is at the heart of what we do.”