HOST JOEL ON HOW THEY Inside the wacky world of Masked Singer
Rob Brydon puts the kibosh on another Gavin & Stacey after the Christmas special was the most-watched comedy in 17 years.
WEIRD Saturday night TV hit The Masked Singer is taking the nation by storm.
And the secret of its success is – exactly that – the secret.
Performers in quirky colourful costumes sing for an audience and a star-studded panel.
The singers are famous people but we, and the panel, can only guess who they are. Week by week a star is unmasked.
The show attracts up to seven million viewers and, as the Sunday People reported last week, ITV has approved a second series.
So why has such an odd show got its Saturday rival The Greatest Dancer running scared to an earlier slot?
We chatted to host Joel Dommett hoping to lift the lid on The Masked Singer and the identity of the star performers. Speculation about the singers has grown to such a pitch that social media is full of celebs bluffing and double bluffing about who is taking part.
But given some of the steps to maintain celebs’ anonymity their identities are almost anyone’s guess. Joel, 34, reckons just a handful of the show’s staff know who is in the disguises.
The comedian said the entrants performing for Rita Ora, Jonathan Ross, Davina Mccall, Donny Osmond and Ken Jeong are made to wear helmets in the studio to obscure their faces.
But even that is not enough. Former I’m a Celeb contestant Joel said: “They also have their own rooms and wear hoodies which say ‘Don’t talk to me.’
Chameleon
“If they have a make-up artist or an agent with them they all wear them too.
“All the crew are guessing. I am in the dark. I have no idea.
“They have their own change areas and they can’t leave without seeing each other. They are also all isolated from each other. Celebrities are now on Instagram saying it’s not them. The show’s mad. It’s so interesting.”
So far, seven of the stars have been revealed on The Masked Singer, whose final is a week on Saturday. Last night Scissor
Sisters singer Jake Shears, 41, was unveiled as the unicorn and Skin, from 90s band Skunk Anansie, 52, was the duck.
US singer Kelis, 40, who had a huge hit with Milkshake and has sold six million records, was unveiled as the Daisy last week.
When asked why she decided to sign up to the show, she told the panel: “People have just been telling me my voice was distinct. I thought I would give it a go.”
Other stars to surprise the show’s growing number of fans are Eastenders star
Patsy Palmer, 47, the Butterfly, and The Darkness frontman
Justin Hawkins, 44, the Chameleon.
Former Home
Secretary Alan
Johnson, 59, was the Pharaoh, and
England football legend Teddy
Sheringham, 53, the Tree. Joel predicts there will be many more big names behind the fancy masks. He explains: “We are talking big people and the show needs that.
“We have had Kelis. Who knows? Elton John could be the Duck or it could be Theresa May. She’s out of work these days.”
Joel has admitted he has been eyeing up the wacky costumes for possible Halloween outfits. He said: “Everyone is sexing up the costumes on the show a little bit. We have a kinky hedgehog. We won’t have to get any Halloween costumes this year. We have got some good ones now from the show already.”
He joked: “We can steal some from this year’s series.”
The Masked Singer format, which first aired in South Korea in 2015 with the title King of Masked Singer, has been sold to more than 20 countries.
Joel said: “Everybody is talking
about it. It has completely