The Masked Singer is set to arrive on our screens in the New Year and ITV has finally revealed a first look trailer for the show.
The programme - which has found major success in the States – is set to keep viewers hooked thanks to its wacky nature.
Taking its cues from the King Of Mask Singer, the South Korean singing competition launched in 2015 - the British version launches on ITV on January 4 and will see 12 celebrities hide behind elaborate masks to conceal their identities.
Their aim is to be the last masked singer standing as the judges try to figure out who they really are.
As bizarre as the concept sounds, the US version – which premiered in January – gained 11 million viewers by the time its first season finale aired.
Standard Online was among reporters who got a sneak peek at the series launch, when the show’s judges revealed exactly why should tune in while answering any burning questions you may have.
Here’s everything we can tell you about The Masked Singer UK (without spoiling it, of course) …
Who are the judges?
Spoiler alert: They don’t like to be called judges!
The four celebs on the panel prefer to be called detectives because of how hard they worked to figure out who is behind each mask.
On the panel sits Jonathan Ross, Ken Jeong - who has featured in both of the US versions - Rita Ora and Davina McCall.
The four celebrities have great chemistry as Ross and Jeong bring the banter while McCall and Ora will make you laugh as they attempt to figure out if their friends or peers are underneath the costumes.
How many episodes are there?
The show is jam-packed with a lot of quirky fun so the fact that there are 8 episodes is something to celebrate.
The first two instalments - where you get to know all 12 contestants over two days - will air on 4 and 5 January.
From then onwards the show will air once a week.
How many masked singers are there?
There are 12 characters and you will only know them by their character name until they are unmasked.
Say hello to Butterfly, Hedgehog, Pharoah, Tree, Unicorn, Fox, Monster, Chameleon, Daisy, Octopus, Duck and Queen Bee.
During the premiere, viewers will only meet 6 of the characters as one will be eliminated in the final round of that episode.
The remaining 6 will storm the stage on 5 January.
When do we find out who the masked singers are and who knows who they are?
Viewers will only get to discover who each masked singer is only when they remove their masks.
At the time the show was recorded only around 6 people in production were aware of the masked singer identities.
The judges, and host Joel Dommett, were in suspense until the big reveal.
How does the studio audience keep the identities of the masked singer a secret after filming?
The studio audience provide the energy in the show. They are a very important element, and an unmissable one, as they scream “take it off” repeatedly when demanding the celebs to reveal themselves.
Ross joked that it was awkward getting the hyped-up audience to leave for the most anticipated part of the taping.
At the launch, Ross said: “The audience were asked to leave the studio before the celebrity is unmasked. You can imagine how pleased they were about that after coming out on a wet night in Bovingdon (the studio near Hemel Hempstead).”
Contestants are forced to wear black hoods and are transported to and from set in special cars so as few people as possible know their identities.
Earlier this month The Real host and Cheetah Girl singer Adrienne Bailon, runner up of season 2 of the US version, revealed that her husband Grammy-winner Israel Hougton had to be in a full disguise when visiting her on set to properly conceal the secret.
In order to keep everything top secret producers required the few audience members left in the studio for the reveal to sign non-disclosure agreements.
Do viewers vote?
This isn’t an ordinary reality TV show as viewers do not need to vote. The programme is pre-recorded meaning the responsibility has been left to the studio audience to make the important decisions via their mobile phones.
The studio audience simply vote for their favourite characters while the judges wait to see if their guesses were correct.
What does the winner win and why do the celebs do it?
Nothing. They don’t win a thing.
McCall shared that one of the British contestants “did it for their children”, while Michelle Williams – who was revealed to be the Butterfly in the most recent American version - cried as she revealed she did it to boost her confidence.
Dommett hinted to Standard Online that there are similar cases in the upcoming British version.
He told us: “It such a process for the people who are in the costumes. They had to be so secretive. There was a lot of rehearsing and performing and nerves and stuff like that and I think a lot of them when they talked about the reason they were doing it – it was for their kid – and the fact that they knew their kids would love to do such a fun and different thing.”
How do they sing in their masks?
Monster’s costume for starters is very complicated, allowing only for the celebrity inside to move their feet - meaning there is a mic designed to go with the costume.
Meanwhile, Duck is forced to wear a large lapel around its beak.
The majority of the other characters are able to hold their microphones with their own hands as their costumes concealed any distinctive features.
Fun fact: Monster’s costume is so complicated and stuffy it has a fan inside it.
Do the judges know any of the singers?
McCall, Ora and Ross have already confirmed that some of their characters turned out to be a friend, leaving them feeling a bit silly for not being able to correctly guess.
Who else has appeared on other versions of the show?
Stars including Kelly Osbourne, Ricki Lake, Michelle Williams and Gladys Knight were among those who joined in the fun – while T-Pain shocked the American judges when he was unveiled as the singer behind The Monster character in season 1.
The Masked Singer launches on 4 January 2020 on ITV.
