As The Masked Singer comes to a close, lovers of the musical programme will be pleased to hear that their Saturday nights will not be void of a singsong or two as a Olly Murs' musical show, Starstruck, makes its welcome return to ITV1 and ITVX this evening (February 18).
The programme - which last year amassed a whopping 4.7 million viewers watching its first episode - will see contestants undergo a makeover and indulge in the "ultimate 'superstar experience'" as they ditch their everyday lives to become a global megastar in front a star studded judging panel and studio audience. But that's not all.
The caveat is that the contestants won't be alone on stage. In fact, they will be joined by two other performers who will be dressed as and singing songs from the same music artist.
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Returning as host of the show is X Factor star and The Voice UK coach Olly Murs, who has described the show as: "People leaving their 9 to 5s behind and being their music idols for one night."
In 2022 the musical panel included Adam Lambert, Beverly Knight, Jason Manford and Sheridan Smith. This year, Sheridan has been replaced by country pop icon Shania Twain - who, she revealed, is being impersonated in this upcoming series by three women. It begs the question: will they impress her much?
While it'll mostly be the contestants lighting up the stage each week, viewers can expect to see several group performances from the judges themselves. Here's everything you need to know about what the show entails, when the series two begin and who are this year's judges.
How does Starstruck work?
Starstruck is similar to that of 90s and 00s classic Stars in Their Eyes which saw regular folk come on the show to perform as their musical hero. In one puff of smoke, they go from their regular self to a global superstar after saying the classic line: "Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be..."
On Starstruck, four teams of three members will take to the stage to sing a hit song by their musical idol - with each member of the team taking a section of the song.
Once they have performed, the Starstruck judges will then decide which team they feel is the strongest. Following this, the voting audience must pick who should go through to the series finale and be in with a chance of winning £50,000.
When is Starstruck series two on?
The second series of the musical programme is returning - after a stellar first series - on Saturday, February 18 at 8.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX. The show will go on for an hour and ten minutes finishing at 9.40pm. In 2022, the series lasted for six weeks and while it has not been confirmed how long it will run for this year, we can expect a similar length.
Who are the celebrity judging panel?
Returning to the panel this year are singer-songwriter and Queen frontman Adam Lambert, Shoulda Woulda Coulda hitmaker Beverly Knight and comedian and West End star Jason Manford. Last year, Gavin and Stacey star Sheridan Smith was the fourth judge, but in 2023 she has been replaced by Canadian country legend Shania Twain, who describes herself as an "inspired judge".
"I’m always considering how inspired I am, that’s really where I’mcoming from when I’m giving them any commentary or any feedback."
Speaking of joining the panel, Shania reflected on the standout moments from joining the show and said: "Adam’s wardrobe - he is so stunning! I look forward to that everyday. Jason has thisfabulous humour and I enjoy having a laugh and bantering back and forth with him. Beverleyis just very sisterly and warm. I look forward to that camaraderie we have. As far the musicgoes, just bring on the hits - I’m always looking forward to the hits. I live for music so I’m just the biggest fan in the audience."
As for the talent, the 'Man, I Feel Like A Woman' songstress seems to have been blown away. She said: "I’m so impressed! There have been a lot of really great vocalists and there have been somegreat impersonations as well - there are two sides to the coin in this show. They are takingon the persona of a particular artist so their mannerisms and the way they deliver thecharacter of the artist is part of the performance. I’ve been pleasantly surprised over andover again."
Which superstars will be making an appearance?
Throughout the series, it has been reported by What To Watch that, performances impersonating the likes of Dolly Parton, Frank Sinatra, Sir Tom Jones, Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and even one of the judges are to be expected.
"We did have Team Shania! It was so exciting," revealed the 57-year-old Canadian. "I was really flattered - it was like a careerhighlight. And especially to have three women ,who have day jobs and they are obviouslyfans - they put their heart and soul into doing the best Shania they could do. It was entirelyflattering and I was really touched."
Beverly Knight added: "I think you’re going to see from really oldschool artists, bang up to date artists and everybody in between. So the current, the classic,the iconic from absolutely every genre."
Series 2 of Starstruck will air on ITV1 and ITVX on Saturday, February 18 at 8.30pm.
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