The Masked Singer (British TV series)
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.[2][3][4]
The Masked Singer | |
---|---|
Genre |
|
Based on | |
Directed by | Simon Staffurth |
Creative director(s) | Beth Honan |
Presented by | Joel Dommett |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
|
Producer(s) | Marc Bassett |
Production location(s) | ITV Studios Bovingdon[1] |
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 90 mins (inc. adverts) |
Production company(s) | Bandicoot |
Distributor | Argonon |
Release | |
Original network | ITV |
Original release | 4 January 2020 – present |
Chronology | |
Related shows | Masked Singer franchise |
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.[5][6]
On 25 January 2020, it was announced that the show would be returning for a second series.[7] On 30 April 2020, it was reported that they were considering filming the new series without an audience due to the coronavirus pandemic.[8] It was later announced on 17 August 2020 that filming would begin on 14 September with safety precautions in place.[9]
Cast
Panelists 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 panelist 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.[10][3]
In episode 5, Donny Osmond, who appeared as Peacock in the first American series, took Jeong's place on the panel.[11] In episode 6, Sharon Osbourne and daughter Kelly Osbourne, the latter of whom appeared as Ladybug in the second American series, filled in.
Series overview
Series | Number of | Duration | Finalists | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Celebrities | Weeks | Winner | Runner-up | Third place | ||
1 | 12 | 7 | 4 January – 15 February 2020 | Nicola Roberts as "Queen Bee" |
Jason Manford as "Hedgehog" |
Katherine Jenkins as "Octopus" |
Contestants
Stage name | Celebrity | Occupation | Episodes | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |||
Queen Bee | Nicola Roberts | Singer | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WINNER | ||
Hedgehog | Jason Manford | Comedian | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | RUNNER-UP | ||
Octopus | Katherine Jenkins | Singer | WIN | RISK | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | THIRD | ||
Monster | CeeLo Green | Singer | RISK | SAFE | RISK | SAFE | OUT | |||
Fox | Denise van Outen | Actress | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | RISK | OUT | |||
Unicorn | Jake Shears | Singer | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | OUT | ||||
Duck | Skin | Singer | RISK | RISK | SAFE | OUT | ||||
Daisy | Kelis | Singer | RISK | SAFE | OUT | |||||
Tree | Teddy Sheringham | Footballer | WIN | OUT | ||||||
Chameleon | Justin Hawkins | Singer | RISK | OUT | ||||||
Pharaoh | Alan Johnson | Politician | OUT | |||||||
Butterfly | Patsy Palmer | Actress | OUT |
Episodes
Episode 1 (4 January)
# | Stage name | Song | Identity | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Queen Bee | "Alive" by Sia | undisclosed | WIN |
2 | Duck | "Like a Virgin" by Madonna | undisclosed | RISK |
3 | Unicorn | "Babooshka" by Kate Bush | undisclosed | WIN |
4 | Butterfly | "You've Got the Love" by Florence and the Machine | Patsy Palmer | OUT |
5 | Chameleon | "Creep" by Radiohead | undisclosed | RISK |
6 | Hedgehog | "Black Magic" by Little Mix | undisclosed | WIN |
Episode 2 (5 January)
# | Stage name | Song | Identity | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Monster | "Happy" by Pharrell Williams | undisclosed | RISK |
2 | Fox | "Call Me" by Blondie | undisclosed | WIN |
3 | Tree | "It Must Be Love" by Madness | undisclosed | WIN |
4 | Pharaoh | "Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles | Alan Johnson | OUT |
5 | Octopus | "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid | undisclosed | WIN |
6 | Daisy | "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd | undisclosed | RISK |
Episode 3 (11 January)
# | Stage name | Song | Result | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Unicorn | "Juice" by Lizzo | SAFE | |
2 | Queen Bee | "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi | SAFE | |
3 | Duck | "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi | RISK | |
4 | Hedgehog | "Shine" by Take That | SAFE | |
5 | Chameleon | "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man | RISK | |
Sing-Off | Identity | Result | ||
1 | Duck | "Ave Maria" by Schubert | undisclosed | SAFE |
2 | Chameleon | "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper | Justin Hawkins | OUT |
Episode 4 (18 January)
# | Stage name | Song | Result | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Octopus | "Splish Splash" by Bobby Darin | RISK | |
2 | Tree | "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers | RISK | |
3 | Daisy | "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt | SAFE | |
4 | Monster | "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley | SAFE | |
5 | Fox | "On the Radio" by Donna Summer | SAFE | |
Sing-Off | Identity | Result | ||
1 | Octopus | "One Last Time" by Ariana Grande | undisclosed | SAFE |
2 | Tree | "Evergreen" by Westlife | Teddy Sheringham | OUT |
Episode 5 (25 January)
Guest panelist: Donny Osmond
# | Stage name | Song | Identity | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Monster | "Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls | undisclosed | RISK |
2 | Fox | "On My Own" from Les Misérables | undisclosed | SAFE |
3 | Daisy | "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole | Kelis | OUT |
4 | Queen Bee | "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys | undisclosed | SAFE |
5 | Octopus | "Diamonds Are Forever" by Shirley Bassey | undisclosed | SAFE |
6 | Unicorn | "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top | undisclosed | SAFE |
7 | Hedgehog | "Don't Look Back in Anger" by Oasis | undisclosed | SAFE |
8 | Duck | "Blinded by Your Grace, Pt. 2" by Stormzy | undisclosed | SAFE |
Episode 6 (1 February)
Guest panelists: Sharon Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne
Group number: "High Hopes" by Panic! at the Disco
# | Stage name | Song | Identity | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Fox | "Firework" by Katy Perry | undisclosed | RISK |
2 | Duck | "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion | Skin | OUT |
3 | Unicorn | "Girls & Boys" by Blur | Jake Shears | OUT |
4 | Queen Bee | "Heaven" by DJ Sammy | undisclosed | SAFE |
5 | Monster | "Human" by Rag'n'Bone Man | undisclosed | SAFE |
6 | Hedgehog | "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf | undisclosed | SAFE |
7 | Octopus | "I'll Never Love Again" by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper | undisclosed | SAFE |
Episode 7: Semi-final (8 February)
Group Number: "Don't Get Me Wrong" by The Pretenders
# | Stage name | Song | Identity | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hedgehog | "Chandelier" by Sia | undisclosed | SAFE |
2 | Octopus | "Somewhere" by Barbra Streisand | undisclosed | SAFE |
3 | Fox | "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler | Denise van Outen | OUT |
4 | Queen Bee | "Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston | undisclosed | SAFE |
5 | Monster | "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" by Culture Club | undisclosed | SAFE |
# | Stage name | Song | Identity | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hedgehog | "My Way" by Frank Sinatra | undisclosed | SAFE |
2 | Octopus | "Vogue" by Madonna | undisclosed | SAFE |
3 | Queen Bee | "Work It Out" by Beyoncé | undisclosed | SAFE |
4 | Monster | "Careless Whisper" by George Michael | CeeLo Green | OUT |
Episode 8: Final (15 February)
Group Number: "The Greatest Show" from The Greatest Showman
# | Stage name | Song | Identity | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Queen Bee | "Somebody Else's Guy" by Jocelyn Brown | undisclosed | SAFE |
2 | Hedgehog | "Cry Me a River" by Ella Fitzgerald | undisclosed | SAFE |
3 | Octopus | "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins | Katherine Jenkins | THIRD PLACE |
# | Stage name | Song | Identity | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Queen Bee | "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi | Nicola Roberts | WINNER |
2 | Hedgehog | "Black Magic" by Little Mix | Jason Manford | RUNNER-UP |
ITV2 one-off special
On 26 April 2020, Dommett invited panelists 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 the Coronavirus recession in effect and residents of the United Kingdom under lockdown, Dommett had to conference call the panelists 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 PLACE |
3 | Robot | "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears | Chesney Hawkes | WINNER |
Ratings
Official ratings are taken from BARB, utilising the four-screen dashboard which includes viewers who watched the programme on laptops, smartphones, and tablets within 7 days of the original broadcast.[12]
Episode | Date | Official rating (millions) |
ITV weekly rank |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 January | 6.73 | 5 |
2 | 5 January | 5.50 | 15 |
3 | 11 January | 6.38 | 13 |
4 | 18 January | 6.10 | 15 |
5 | 25 January | 6.18 | 15 |
6 | 1 February | 5.68 | 15 |
7 | 8 February | 6.43 | 9 |
8 | 15 February | 7.57 | 2 |
Series average | 2020 | 6.32 | N/A |
See also
References
- "SRO Audiences". Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- White, Peter (31 May 2019). "ITV Orders UK Version Of Hit Reality Series 'The Masked Singer' From Argonon's Bandicoot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- Alex, Susannah (8 September 2019). "ITV's The Masked Singer confirms complete all-star panel and host". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- Law, Angela (11 October 2019). "Rita Ora and Ken Jeong Are Joining the Judging Panel on The Masked Singer UK". PopSugar. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- "ITV commissions The Masked Singer – Bandicoot". Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- "ITV commissions The Masked Singer". Press Centre. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- Ed Gleave (25 January 2020). "Surprise hit The Masked Singer returning for second series after beating Doctor Who". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- Manori Ravindran (30 April 2020). "ITV Mulls 'Feasibility' of Love Island Amid Coronavirus, Competing With Netflix & Insurance Woes". Variety. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- Jake Kanter (17 August 2020). "The Masked Singer UK To Be Filmed In Front Of Live Studio Audience Next Month". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- "ITV announces host and panel for new ITV show The Masked Singer". ITV Press Centre. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- Laurie, Dan (9 January 2020). "Davina McCall teases The Masked Singer major judging panel shake-up". Daily Star. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- "Four-screen dashboard | BARB". www.barb.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2020.