The Masked Singer UK panellists are usually dressed in their glitziest outfits as they make their guesses at who is underneath the show’s costumes each Saturday night.
But this weekend will see them donning some very different attire as they dress in hilarious costumes for a circus-themed episode of the series.
Davina McCall, 56, is set to look fighting fit in a leopard print mini dress as she dresses as a weightlifter, while her fellow panellist Jonathan Ross, 63, will don a red, white and blue human cannonball outfit.
Guest panellist Olly Murs, 39, will appear as a mime artist while programme host Joel Dommett, 38, will come as the circus ringleader – with the presenter admitting keeping the panellists in check while helming the show is one of his biggest challenges.
Speaking of their roles on the panel, including Mo Gilligan, 35, who this week will come dressed as himself, Davina said: ‘What’s quite funny is trying to get Mo involved in any kind of theme, it’s hilarious.
The Masked Singer’s Davina McCall, 56, is set to look fighting fit in a leopard print mini dress as she dresses as a weightlifter for this weekend’s circus-themed episode of the show
Presenter Joel Dommett will come as a ringleader and has admitted keeping the panellists in check while helming the show is one of his biggest challenges (Joel pictured during Saturday’s episode as a strongman)
The Masked Singer UK will this weekend star panellists (L-R) Mo Gilligan, Davina McCall, host Joel Dommett, guest panellists Olly Murs and regular panellist Jonathan Ross
‘Mo looks cool in everything he wears. He’s like Joel. Him and Joel could just wear anything and they’d look great.
‘I came as a weightlifter, I even had a moustache that I could occasionally hold up, which is great.
‘Wait till you see Joel’s party trick, he blew my mind. I thought he must have been training for that for about four years!
On Joel’s circus skills, Jonathan continued: ‘I thought it was really good fun. It was amazing seeing Joel actually having some circus skills as well, who’d have thought it?
‘It’s annoying enough that he’s that good-looking and he’s so fit, but also can balance a table on his chin. Where does it all end?’
Meanwhile, Joel admitted his costume actually reflects a key aspect of his job – keeping the panellists in check while making sure the masked singers are aware of their surroundings as they take to the stage.
He explained: ‘I feel like a ringmaster having to wrangle the panel. They really go off on wild tangents and in my head I’m like, “I know none of this is making the edit.”
‘Forget ringmaster, I feel like I’m a shepherd. I wish I had a shepherd’s crook and I could just grab Mo by the neck and pull him back and be like, “Okay, come on!”
This weekend will see the panellists donning some very different attire as they dress in hilarious costumes for a circus-themed episode of the series
Davina was given weights to lift and a black curly moustache to hold up in front of her face as part of her amusing costume
On Joel’s circus skills, Jonathan Ross said: ‘It was amazing seeing Joel actually having some circus skills as well, who’d have thought it?’ (Joel pictured)
Jonathan added: ‘It’s annoying enough that he’s that good-looking and he’s so fit, but also can balance a table on his chin. Where does it all end?’ (Joel pictured)
Meanwhile, Joel admitted one of the most challenging aspects of his job is keeping the panellists in check
‘It is mad because I’m trying to sort of keep them in check. Whilst also, and it’s something you don’t really see on television, you’ve got these people in these costumes and they often cannot see where they are at all.
‘They have no spatial perception at all. One character didn’t even know whether they were facing the front, the side, the back. They had no idea.
‘So I’m trying to talk to the panel, trying to get them to behave, but at the same time trying to sort of shepherd a person in a costume to the middle of the stage and often they’ll walk again to the front of the stage and I have to get them back and make sure they’re in shot and stuff like that.
‘I’m spinning a lot of plates.’
Last week saw Alexander Armstrong unmasked as Chicken Caesar after the panellists correctly guessed his identity with the help of some clues.
And Pointless host Alexander, 53, admitted he was delighted to go on prime time television ‘dressed as a cock’ after he was eliminated.
He said he found the Chicken Caesar outfit amusing, adding that it felt freeing to perform without being caked in stage make-up.
He told the Mirror: ‘The costume just made me laugh, that and coming on prime time TV dressed as a cock.’
Alexander Armstrong admitted he was delighted to go on prime time television ‘dressed as a cock’ while appearing on The Masked Singer UK last week (pictured)
The actor and comedian, 53, revealed his identity on the show last Saturday night after performing while concealed in the Chicken Caesar costume
Pointless host Alexander said he found the Chicken Caesar outfit (pictured) amusing, adding that it felt freeing to perform without being caked in stage make-up
He added: ‘The fact you don’t have to go to makeup, you don’t have to shave, no one has to see you.
‘You don’t have to say anything. It’s quite nice not saying anything.’
Talking about taking part in the show, Alexander said after his unmasking: ‘I’ve been longing to do it, every year I’m always getting messages saying are you so and so? Are you Traffic Cone? And I say maybe!
‘I’ve loved it, it’s the beginning of the journey and the end of the journey but what a journey it’s been!’
When asked about keeping it a secret, he added: ‘I’ve found keeping the secret ok. It’s made very easy for us because we all have code names. I’ve got very good at talking about the programme by its code name, so it’s been pretty good.
‘Obviously the fact is we all have to mask up as we walk around, we have to wear gloves, full visor, and everything. It just feels very Squid Game, but I don’t mind that. It adds a bit of risk.
Speaking on not knowing who his co-stars were, Alexander said: ‘I think the strangest thing of all is obviously not knowing any of the other people who are on. The only clues you get is hearing them sing. Piranha, boy oh boy, they are incredible. It’s very strange not knowing who you’re up against.
It comes after Dionne Warwick became the first character to be unmasked during the first week of the series.
Joel returned to host the ITV show, alongside panellists Davina, Jonathan, Mo and Rita Ora.
This week’s The Masked Singer heads to the circus with the panel and Joel’s costumes reflecting this week’s theme
Olly Murs is set to fill in for Rita, 32, on the panel as she has had a ‘number of diary clashes’.
The singer was given the chop from his long-running role as a judge on The Voice last year but was snapped up quickly to join The Masked Singer family.
The characters taking to the stage hoping they can fool the panel and viewers at home are Maypole, Cricket, Bigfoot, Dippy Egg and Rat.
It comes after it was revealed Davina furiously stormed off stage during filming of the new season.
She admitted she was left so shocked and embarrassed after failing to guess the identity of one vocalist, who turned out to be a very close friend, she stomped off the set.
Davina admitted the revelation left her ‘kicking herself’ and despite being left humiliated branded it the ‘greatest surprise’ she’d ever.
It comes after Dionne Warwick became the first character to be unmasked during the first week of the series (pictured last month)
The broadcaster, who appears on the panel with Mo Gilligan, Jonathan Ross and Rita Ora , told The Sun : ‘The funny thing was that all of us have met this one character. We were kicking ourselves’.
‘I just couldn’t help myself storming off when I saw who the person was’.
‘There have been many people on the show who I have met in passing, but this was a real friend, someone I have known for years’.
The Masked Singer airs on Saturdays at 7pm on ITV1, ITVX & STV.
