Viewers were left in shock when Gareth Malone was unveiled to be the fourth celebrity unmasked on the ITV show The Masked Dancer on Saturday night. The music and choir star, named on the show as Cactus, fooled the judges and viewers as he twirled and twinkle-toed across the stage in a green cactus suit to Too Darn Hot by Cole Porter, only unveiling his true identity once he lost the dance-off to a lion named Pearly King who the judges chose to save.
The programme, presented by Joel Dommett, sees celebrities attempt to baffle, bewilder, and bamboozle the panel – made up of Davina McCall, Strictly Come Dancing pro Oti Mabuse, football legend Peter Crouch, and talk show host Jonathan Ross – and viewers alike with their fancy footwork and dazzling dance moves while concealing their identity through the means of disguise with extravagant and elaborate costumes.
While Cactus was dressed in a wrestling leotard and features – as well as a succulent's body – its pre-dance video clips and performance itself revealed some clues to help the judges attempt to piece together the puzzle. With hints like stars, that the judges saw as representing jungle-based reality TV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! as opposed to his All Star choir, a wedding cake, and references to performing on stage and topping the charts,the judges were convinced the dancer in question was one of three of the four members of successful boyband McFly.
