The Masked Singer
Genre
Based on
Creative directorBeth Honan
Presented byJoel Dommett
Starring
Theme music composer
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series5
No. of episodes39
Production
Executive producers
  • Claire Horton
  • Derek McLean
  • Daniel Nettleton
ProducerTom Gills
Production locationITV Studios Bovingdon[1]
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time90 mins (inc. adverts)
Production companyBandicoot
Original release
NetworkITV
Release4 January 2020 (2020-01-04) 
present
Related
The Masked Dancer

The Masked Singer is a British reality singing competition television series that premiered on ITV on 4 January 2020. It is based on the Masked Singer franchise which originated from the South Korean version of the show King of Mask Singer.[2][3][4] In February 2022, the show was recommissioned for a fourth and fifth series. The show won an International Emmy for Best Non-Scripted Entertainment in 2021.[5]

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.[2] The production is made by British television production company Bandicoot, part of the Argonon Group.[6][7]

On 25 January 2020, it was announced that the show would be returning for a second series.[8] On 30 April 2020, it was reported that they were considering filming the new series without an audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] It was later announced on 17 August 2020 that filming would begin on 14 September with safety precautions in place.[10] On 1 December 2020, it was announced that the second series would premiere on 26 December 2020, with a "The Story So Far" recap airing on 19 December.[11]

On 14 February 2022, following the conclusion of the third series, ITV announced the commission of a fourth and fifth series.[12][13] The fourth series began on 1 January 2023.[14]

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.[15][3]

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.[16][17] Gilligan has continued to serve as a panellist in subsequent series of the show.

Series overview

Series overview
SeriesContestantsEpisodesOriginally airedWinnerRunner-upThird placeAverage viewers
(millions)
First airedLast aired
11284 January 2020 (2020-01-04)15 February 2020 (2020-02-15)Nicola Roberts
as "Queen Bee"
Jason Manford
as "Hedgehog"
Katherine Jenkins
as "Octopus"
6.47
212826 December 2020 (2020-12-26)13 February 2021 (2021-02-13)Joss Stone
as "Sausage"
Ne-Yo
as "Badger"
Aston Merrygold
as "Robin"
7.64
31281 January 2022 (2022-01-01)12 February 2022 (2022-02-12)Natalie Imbruglia
as "Panda"
Charlotte Church
as "Mushroom"
Mark Feehily
as "Robobunny"
6.07
41281 January 2023 (2023-01-01)18 February 2023 (2023-02-18)Charlie Simpson
as "Rhino"
Ricky Wilson
as "Phoenix"
Natalie Appleton
as "Fawn"
5.50
512[18][19][20]TBA30 December 2023 (2023-12-30)TBATBATBATBATBA

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2021 British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Programme Nominated [21]
2023 British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Programme Won [22]
2022 British Academy Television Craft Awards Entertainment Craft Team Nominated [23]
2022 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards Best Entertainment Nominated [24]
2021 International Emmy Awards Non-Scripted Entertainment Won [25]
2020 Royal Television Society Costume Design - Entertainment & Non Drama Won [26]
2021 Nominated [27]
Entertainment Won [28]
2022 Nominated [29]
2023 National Television Awards The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award Nominated [30]

ITV2 one-off special

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'.[31]

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.[32]

Performances on Home Alone with Joel Dommett
# 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".[33]

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 had 12 contestants competing through seven episodes, and was hosted by Dommett, with Ross, Gilligan, McCall, and Oti Mabuse serving as panellists.[34] It premiered on 29 May 2021,[35][36] filling in the late spring 2021 slot of Britain's Got Talent,[37] which had its upcoming series 15 postponed until 2022 due to health and safety concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.[38]

The Masked Singer: I'm a Celebrity Special

On 30 August 2022, it was announced that ITV had commissioned a one-off I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! special of The Masked Singer,[39] would air on 6 November 2022, ahead of the launch show for the 2022 series.[40] The special saw four former campmates perform in costume, with their identities revealed over the course of the episode. Dommett hosted the special and was joined by regular The Masked Singer panelists Gilligan, McCall, Ora, and Ross.[40] John Thomson, who had previously competed in the second series as "Bush Baby", reprised his role to provide the panel with clues for the competitors. The special returned in 2023, once again airing immediately prior to the launch show.

Special 1 (6 November 2022)

First performances on The Masked Singer: I'm a Celebrity Special
# Stage Name Song Identity Result
1 Witchetty Grub[41] "Moving On Up" by M People Alison Hammond OUT
2 Koala[41] "Could It Be Magic" by Take That undisclosed WIN
3 Cockroach[41] Go the Distance by Michael Bolton Russell Watson OUT
4 Kangaroo[41] "Lush Life" by Zara Larsson undisclosed WIN
Second performances on The Masked Singer: I'm a Celebrity Special
# Stage Name Song Identity Result
1 Koala "If I Can Dream" by Elvis Presley Vernon Kay WINNER
2 Kangaroo "Just Got Paid" by Sigala, Ella Eyre & Meghan Trainor feat. French Montana Sinitta RUNNER-UP

Special 2 (19 November 2023)

First performances on The Masked Singer: I'm a Celebrity Special
# Stage Name Song Identity Result
1 Dunny "She Bangs" by Ricky Martin undisclosed WIN
2 Huntsman "Love Really Hurts Without You" by Billy Ocean Linford Christie OUT
3 Bearded Dragon "Time To Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman undisclosed WIN
4 Wombat "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison Andy Whyment OUT
Second performances on The Masked Singer: I'm a Celebrity Special
# Stage Name Song Identity Result
1 Dunny "Cake By The Ocean" by DNCE Joe Pasquale WINNER
2 Bearded Dragon "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" by Dua Lipa Myleene Klass RUNNER-UP

The Masked Singer: Christmas Special (25 December 2023)

First performances on The Masked Singer: Christmas Special[42]
# Stage Name Song Identity Result
1 Partridge (in a Pear Tree) "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Andy Williams undisclosed WIN
2 Sprout "Good King Wenceslas" by Bing Crosby Tony Robinson OUT
3 Decorations "Merry Christmas Everyone" by Shakin' Stevens Julian Clary OUT
4 Reindeer "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee undisclosed WIN
Second performances on The Masked Singer: Christmas Special
# Stage Name Song Identity Result
1 Partridge (in a Pear Tree) "Holly Jolly Christmas" by Michael Bublé Ainsley Harriott WINNER
2 Reindeer "Underneath the Tree" by Kelly Clarkson Carol Vorderman RUNNER-UP

The Masked Singer Live tour

A live arena tour of the show began during the 2022 Easter holidays, travelling across the UK. The tour consisted of two touring judges, Denise van Outen (who appeared as "Fox" in series one) and Aston Merrygold (who appeared as "Robin" in series two), with a guest judge at each location. Panda, Dragon, Unicorn, Badger and Traffic Cone starred on the tour with two new characters: Space Pug and Baby Dino, who were unmasked at every performance.

Venue[43] Date[43] Venue Judge[44] Space Pug Baby Dino
Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena 2 April 2022 Samia Longchambon Simon Gregson Sinitta
London, O2 Arena 3 April 2022 Jonathan Ross Bill Bailey Maisie Smith
Birmingham, Utilita Arena 5 April 2022 Mo Gilligan Lee Latchford-Evans Claire Sweeney
Newcastle, Utilita Arena 8 April 2022 Scarlett Moffatt Ranj Singh Jenny Ryan
Glasgow, OVO Hydro 9 April 2022 Sanjeev Kohli Ranj Singh Sinitta
Manchester, AO Arena 10 April 2022 Nicola Roberts Lee Latchford-Evans Jacqueline Jossa
Leeds, First Direct Arena 13 April 2022 Nicola Roberts Duncan James Jenny Ryan
Sheffield, Utilita Arena 15 April 2022 Martine McCutcheon Lee Latchford-Evans Claire Sweeney
Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena 16 April 2022 Natalie Imbruglia Ranj Singh Maisie Smith
Wembley, OVO Arena 18 April 2022 Davina McCall Duncan James Jacqueline Jossa

Butlin's live show tour

Since 2023, The Masked Singer has been touring Butlin's holiday camps during selected school holidays. The show features real costumes used in the television series and each live show includes an unmasking of a famous celebrity. The show was hosted by CBBC presenters Sam and Mark. The live show returned for the 2024 season with a custom made costume for the resort.[45]

See also

References

  1. "SRO Audiences". Retrieved 5 December 2019.
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  4. Angela Law (11 October 2019). "Rita Ora and Ken Jeong Are Joining the Judging Panel on The Masked Singer UK". PopSugar. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  5. William Earl (22 November 2021). "The Masked Singer, Call My Agent, Tehran Among International Emmy Award Winners". Variety. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  6. "ITV commissions The Masked Singer – Bandicoot". Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  7. "ITV commissions The Masked Singer". Press Centre. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
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  45. https://www.butlins.com/discover-butlins/things-to-do/the-masked-singer
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