The line-up for series one of The Masked Dancer has been revealed – but when does the series start?
The spin-off show is believed to be a quick turnaround replacement for Britain’s Got Talent after it was cancelled for 2021 due to the pandemic.
It will see celebrity contestants perform dances whilst hiding behind in extravagant, colourful costumes and face masks, leaving the viewers and the star panel to guess their identities.
The Masked Dancer line-up revealed
First up, we’ve got Beetroot – a pretty red root vegetable with frilly green leafy sleeves and skirt and a twinkle in her eye.
Read more: The Masked Singer: Alan Carr should replace Rita Ora, say viewers
Next up, the bizarre Carwash.
He or she comes complete with the colourful foam brushes that shimmy and shake against your car to remove dirt and grime.
Rubber Chicken will be taking to the dancefloor.
Elsewhere, Beagle will be hoping to bag first place and Flamingo will be bringing a tropical flare to the dancefloor.
Frog will no doubt be planning to hip-hop his way to the crown.
One of the weirder creation, Knickerbocker Glory will be centre-stage.
She’s covered in glitter and sprinkles and even has a cute wafer headpiece!
Viewers will get to see Llama try out some tricks.
Meanwhile, viewers will be hoping Scarecrow has more talent than the hapless one from Wizard of Oz.
Squirrel looks ready to bring some sass to the party.
Viper, meanwhile, will no doubt bring some much-needed edge as he slithers onto the ITV stage.
And, last but not least, we have Zipper to complete the pack.
Oti Mabuse replaces Rita Ora on The Masked Dancer
Strictly champ Oti Mabuse will be joining judges Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall and Mo Gilligan.
A source told The Mirror: “With her dance experience and popularity with audiences, she’s perfect for The Masked Dancer.”
The show is already a huge success in the US.
As a result, telly execs are apparently hoping for the same reaction here.
When does The Masked Dancer start?
A source told The Sun back in March: “ITV struck the deal over the rights to the format at the start of this week and now the producers are compiling a team to start work on it.”
It was reported that the broadcaster wanted to have the series filmed by summer.
However, it’s in the spring schedules and the official ITV Twitter account also gave a nod to its start date.
Dancing onto your screen this spring on @ITV @WeAreSTV and ITV Hub.
It posted: “Dancing onto your screen this spring on @ITV @WeAreSTV and ITV Hub.”
Will Rita Ora return for The Masked Singer?
Earlier this year, Masked Singer judge Rita Ora angered the nation when she threw an illegal 30th bash.
The Hot Right Now singer is believed to have “let down” bosses at ITV over the incident.
As a result, it’s still unclear if she will return for series 3.
However, Rita wasn’t the only star to spark controversy during season two of The Masked Singer.
Read more: Oti Mabuse announces she’s leaving Strictly after the 2021 series
Davina, 53, was told by viewers to “cover up” after wearing a figure-hugging dress on the ITV show.
Who won The Masked Singer?
The last series of The Masked Singer was a roaring success, with social media alight with guesses as the show nearer its climax.
Although both Stacey Solomon and Sheridan Smith were favourites to be unmasked as Sausage, the actual identity surprised us all.
As Sausage was announced as the winner of the second series, new mum Joss Stone was unmasked as viewers and the judging panel looked on a-gog.
So who will surprise us this time around? We can’t wait to find out just who is being the masks!
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