It is 1972, and Miss World is everywhere. Sculptor and performance artist Andrew Logan, meanwhile, has spent the day at Crufts Dog Show. He wonders, what would happen if you were to combine the two, blending swimwear and evening wear criteria with the poise demanded of the well-behaved hounds? And lo, Alternative Miss World is born.
Contestants in the first Alternative Miss World stood on a stage of vegetable boxes in Logan’s studio, in a bid to impress judges including David Hockney. Its reputation ballooned – the following year, people squeezed through the windows to get in. In 1978, Logan went public, renting Clapham Common for £200 for the event. Judges vied for a spot – so far, co-hosts and contestants have included Divine, Leigh Bowery, Zandra Rhodes, Jarvis Cocker, Derek Jarman, Brian Eno and Grayson Perry. Events were themed, becoming a massive party. For 1978’s extravaganza, the circus theme was resided over by Logan in full regalia. Judges, perched in lion cages, led proceedings alongside guest of honour Divine. Filmmaker Richard Gayer was on hand to record the spectacle.
Gayer’s finished film was scheduled to premiere the same evening as the Miss World televised event. But competition organiser Eric Morley had a different idea, putting a stop to the planned showing with a threatened litigation, arguing Logan was not entitled to use the Miss World name. Ignoring an invitation to a private screening from the filmmakers, the case went to court.
Andrew Logan
The filmmakers hired the barristers they could afford, including one Tony Blair, future prime minister and then in the early stages of his legal career. He didn’t utter a word the whole trial, says Logan. But, ‘I do remember him for his teeth. Wonderful teeth. Great big smile.’
The judge agreed if the public confused the two events it would be financially and reputationally damaging to Miss World, and granted an injunction – the filmmakers could go ahead, but couldn’t use Miss World in the title. When their promotional bus arrived, it advertised ‘The Alternative’ with ‘Miss World’ casually crossed off.
The case returned to court. Logan wore a jacket made of pieces of disco balls, as well as an eye brooch that winked at the judge throughout. This time, they won, with the judge noting it wasn’t a film about beautiful girls, but a film of the grotesque. But, the distributors were spooked, and the film didn’t go ahead – although, 50 years later, Logan and Alternative Miss World are still going strong.
It’s a great story, and one which continues to resonate, particularly with filmmakers Maya Avidov and Savannah James-Bayly, who tell the story in documentary short, Too Disgusting to be Confused, which will premiere at Raindance Film Festival ahead of its launch.
The duo got to know Logan before, picking out the strands of the story in the creation of a comprehensive narrative. ‘He's so good on camera,’ says Avidov. ‘He’s very charismatic and very happy to be there. He's totally happy in the present and happy to talk about the past. I’d say the hardest part was letting go. There's so much to tell.’
‘We were very lucky in that we managed to get in touch with Richard Gayer, who made the film that caused the backlash, and he was able to fill in a lot of the gaps,’ adds James-Bayly. ‘There was no shortage of content. Our initial cut was much longer than 12 minutes.’
Too Disgusting to be Confused is part of the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund 2025. All films from this year's cohort will be premiering at Raindance Film Festival on the 26th June
The films will be available to stream on Netflix’s Still Watching YouTube Channel from 27th June 2025
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