The Masked Singer | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Based on | |
Creative director | Beth Honan |
Presented by | Joel Dommett |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 5 |
No. of episodes | 41 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producer | Tom Gills |
Production location | ITV Studios Bovingdon[1] |
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 90 mins (inc. adverts) |
Production company | Bandicoot |
Original release | |
Network | ITV |
Release | 4 January 2020 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]
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]
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 | Contestants | Episodes | Originally aired | Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Average viewers (millions) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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" | 6.47 | |
2 | 12 | 8 | 26 December 2020 | 13 February 2021 | Joss Stone as "Sausage" | Ne-Yo as "Badger" | Aston Merrygold as "Robin" | 7.64 | |
3 | 12 | 8 | 1 January 2022 | 12 February 2022 | Natalie Imbruglia as "Panda" | Charlotte Church as "Mushroom" | Mark Feehily as "Robobunny" | 6.07 | |
4 | 12 | 8 | 1 January 2023 | 18 February 2023 | Charlie Simpson as "Rhino" | Ricky Wilson as "Phoenix" | Natalie Appleton as "Fawn" | 5.50 | |
5 | 12[18][19][20] | TBA | 30 December 2023 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
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] |
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 |
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]