The Masked Singer is a British reality singing competition television series based on the Masked Singer franchise which originated from the South Korean version of the show King of Mask Singer. It premiered on ITV on 4 January 2020.
Production
On 31 May 2019, it was announced that ITV was producing a local version of the South Korean television singing competition King of Mask Singer, originally broadcast by the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, for the British television market. The production is made by British television production company Bandicoot, part of the Argonon Group.
On 25 January 2020, it was announced that the show would be returning for a second series. On 30 April 2020, it was reported that they were considering filming the new series without an audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was later announced on 17 August 2020 that filming would begin on 14 September with safety precautions in place. On 1 December 2020, it was announced that the second series will premiere on 26 December 2020, with a “The Story So Far” recap airing on 19 December.
Cast
Panellists and host
Following the announcement of the series, it was confirmed by ITV that the panel would consist of presenter and comedian Jonathan Ross, television presenter Davina McCall, US actor and comedian Ken Jeong (who is also a panellist on the American version of the programme), and singer-songwriter and actress Rita Ora. It was also confirmed that Joel Dommett would host the show.
In episode five of the first series, Donny Osmond, who appeared as Peacock in the first American series, took Jeong’s place on the panel. In episode six, Sharon Osbourne and daughter Kelly Osbourne, the latter of whom appeared as Ladybug in the second American series, filled in.
On 19 August 2020, it was announced that British comedian Mo Gilligan would replace Ken Jeong on the panel for series two, due to travel restrictions from COVID-19 preventing his participation. In episode six of the second series, comedian Alan Carr appeared as a guest panellist for the show’s quarter final. In episode seven, Matt Lucas appeared as a guest panellist. Series one winner Nicola Roberts appeared as a guest panellist for the eighth episode.
Series overview
| Series | Celebrities | Episodes | Originally aired | Winner | Runner-up | Third place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||||||
| 1 | 12 | 8 | 4 January 2020 | 15 February 2020 | Nicola Roberts as “Queen Bee” |
Jason Manford as “Hedgehog” |
Katherine Jenkins as “Octopus” |
|
| 2 | 12 | 8 | 26 December 2020 | 13 February 2021 | Joss Stone as “Sausage” |
Ne-Yo as “Badger” |
Aston Merrygold as “Robin” |
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ITV2 one-off special
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On 26 April 2020, Dommett invited panellists McCall and Ross to appear on his show, Home Alone with Joel Dommett, on ITV2 to take part in a one-off special of The Masked Singer. With COVID-19 spreading and residents of the United Kingdom under lockdown, Dommett had to conference call the panellists where they had to guess the identities of three masked celebrities. McCall and Ross were tasked with not only guessing their identities, but also deciding on an overall ‘winner’ and ‘runner-up’.
The celebrities’ performances were pre-recorded and consisted of them singing, followed by a hint to their identity, before their reveal at the end of the segment. Rather than the typical costumes and masks that contestants usually wear on the show, the recordings were edited to hide each singer’s face with a specific image.
| # | Stage name | Song | Identity | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teddy Bear | “Sex Bomb” by Tom Jones | Ore Oduba | RUNNER-UP |
| 2 | Smiley Face | “Sweat (A La La La La Long)” by Inner Circle | James Argent | THIRD |
| 3 | Robot | “…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears | Chesney Hawkes | WINNER |
The Masked Singer: Unmasked
The Masked Singer: Unmasked is the companion show presented by Capital Xtra’s Will Njobvu. It is shown on the ITV Hub straight after the main show and is later aired on ITV2 the following Saturday. The show features interviews from the judges and the unmasked celebrity from that episode. It takes us behind the scenes to see what actually goes on at the “most secretive show on TV”.
The Masked Dancer
On 4 March 2021, it was announced that ITV commissioned a dancing spinoff series that shares the same name of the American version. The series will have 12 contestants competing through seven episodes, and will be hosted by Dommett, with Ross, Gilligan, McCall, and Oti Mabuse serving as panellists. It is set to premiere in late spring 2021, filling in for Britain’s Got Talent, which had its upcoming series 15 postponed until 2022 due to health and safety concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.