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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Daisy Herman

The Masked Dancer is returning to ITV for second series - with a surprising new judge

The Masked Dancer is back on ITV for a second series, featuring a new host of celebrities who will perform in front a panel of judges and viewers dressed in incredible costumes . Joining the line-up of judges who will try to guess the celeb beneath the mask is footballing legend Peter Crouch.

The former England striker will be stepping in to replace stand-up comedian Mo Gilligan for the upcoming season, as Mo is embarking on his tour this year. Although Mo said he is “gutted” to be missing out in the new season, he believes his replacement will be “perfect”.

Peter, who is famous for his own ‘Robot dance’, will be joining Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross and Oti Mabuse. Fans may see the footballer use his ledger of famous friends to try and work out the celebrity inside the extravagant costume.

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Peter Crouch has admitted that people believed he was inside a costume in the last season. He said: “The show is a firm favourite in our household and when asked I jumped at the chance to take part.

“I am competitive and I'm currently scrolling through friends' socials looking for those tell-tale dance moves. Another plus is by being on the panel my social media, family and friends won’t be constantly speculating that I’m hiding behind one of the masks!”

The new season will be presented once again by Joel Dommett, and more special guests will appear on the panel throughout the competition, including an appearance from Mo Gilligan. Together, they will try and unmask the twelve new celebrities using hints from their dances and from clue packages.

The winner of last series, Olympic gymnast Louis Swift, donned a Car Wash costume. He was joined by Radio DJ and presenter Zoe Ball dressed as Llama, presenter Kelly Brook as Frog, choreographer, TV judge Craig Revel Horwood as Knickerbocker Glory, and ice skating legend Christopher Dean as Beagle.

TV host Jonathan Ross is the reigning champion on the judges panel, and is hoping his dream will come true of bakery legend Mary Berry being behind a mask. Davina McCall said she cannot wait to return to the “bonkers but utterly brilliant show”, alongside professional dancer Oti Mabuse.

The Masked Dancer is a spin-off to the Emmy-winning show The Masked Singer UK. It will broadcast on screens later this year on ITV and ITV Hub.

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