The Masked Singer UK will soon be back on our television screens — and the new characters have already been revealed.
The ITV1 reality singing competition first started in 2020. Now five series in, the show features celebrities who perform a song each week, anonymously in costumes.
The panellists then guess their identities based on clues the singers provide about themselves.
When does The Masked Singer start?
The new series will start on Saturday, December 30 at 7pm.
But Masked Singer fans can also get their fix on Christmas Day when a festive special will be broadcast at 7.30pm.
Who are The Masked Singer hosts?
Joel Dommett returns as host. The judges are presenter Davina McCall, singer Rita Ora, chat show host Jonathan Ross, and comedian Mo Gilligan.
"Very excited. It's really cool," Dommett said.
He said this was extra special because he and his wife Hannah Cooper welcomed a baby boy, Wilde Cooper-Dommett, in September.
"I think it's certainly the best series, but I think definitely my best series just because of my child arriving. I feel like it's all so joyous and fun.
"I am viewing it all in an entirely different way. I think that's what happens when you have children anyway and the fact that kids in the audience love it so much, I think it puts that entirely into a new context for me and I just love being a part of it."
Who are The Masked Singer's characters?
A host of new characters have been revealed for the upcoming series. These are Owl, Air Fryer, Bubble Tea, Eiffel Tower, Chicken Caesar, Piranha, Maypole, Cricket, Bigfoot, Dippy Egg, Weather, and Rat.
Here's what they have had to say:
OWL: "I just want to have fun!"
AIR FRYER: "Being on The Masked Singer is petrifying and freeing all at the same time."
BUBBLE TEA: "My favourite thing about becoming Bubble Tea is just being able to be really playful."
EIFFEL TOWER: "I’m a huge fan of the show, it was a blast."
CHICKEN CAESAR:" I'm Chicken Caesar! It's great to be here."
PIRANHA: "Everything about this show is completely surreal."
MAYPOLE: "Keeping it secret actually hasn't been that hard for me. I've decided to just hide in plain sight!"
CRICKET: "I like the fun content of The Masked Singer, I could be creative!"
BIGFOOT: "Bigfoot just wants to have a good time and for the audience to have a good time!"
DIPPY EGG: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
WEATHER: "You know the weather is very unpredictable."
RAT: "The nerves I had for the Masked Singer are the worst nerves I’ve had in my entire life."
Who won the last season of The Masked Singer?
Rhino, who was Charlie Simpson from the boyband Busted, won the previous series in February 2023.
Other past winners include Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts as Queen Bee, songwriter Joss Stone as Sausage, and Torn singer Natalie Imbruglia as Panda.
