The Masked Singer UK is back, and with it a brand new cast of mystery contestants.
Hosted by comedian Joel Dommett, the series tasks Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan, Rita Ora and Jonathan Ross with guessing which stars are hidden behind elaborate costumes, as each one sings a cover of a popular song in front of them.
Whoever makes it through to the end of the competition will join previous winners including Busted star Charlie Simpson, Girls Aloud’s Nicola Roberts, and singers Joss Stone and Natalie Imbruglia.
There are 12 characters this season, six of whom were introduced when the new season launched on 30 December.
Owl is wearing a red and gold blazer paired with a red, gold, and purple striped tie, a white shirt, leather belt, and red shorts.
Owl first appeared outside a school and in a classroom, announcing that “double trouble is the game”.
“I’m a night owl, me... proper nocturnal... tons of mates, nine, 10, 11...”
“It takes an owl’s eye to make it look so rad,” Owl said, kicking a ball into the net.
Big north, petit west, grand east... these place names appeared on the school board where Owl was seen wandering about.
“Will this beak peak too soon?” Owl asked.
It was quickly apparent that Owl was not a professional singer, singing summer bop “Padam” by Kylie Minogue.
Owl on The Masked Singer UK— (ITV)
Gilligan accused McCall of “ruffling Owl’s feathers” after she suggested Owl wasn’t a professional singer. McCall guessed that it was professional footballer Alex Scott.
Meanwhile, Gilligan guessed that it was Chelsea Healey, Waterloo Road star. Ora thought it was a “nocturnal” musician and presenter who played football for Liverpool: Chelcee Grimes.
Ross noted the “double trouble” and “11 friends” clues and guessed it was Frankie Bridge, who’s been in two bands and is married to footballer Wayne Bridge.
Owl’s riddle was: “I’ve been known to have been a source of hilarity, but thankfully my hero was the star of that parody.”
Sadly for Owl, Eiffel Tower was the one who got voted to go through to the next round, while Owl ended up in the bottom three. The judges, however, chose to send Owl through to the next round.
Other characters appearing on tonight’s episode include Air Fryer, Bubble Tea and Chicken Caesar.
In the first episode, legendary singer Dionne Warwick was unmasked as Weather, with some fans grumbling that they would have loved to see her go further in the competition.
However, Warwick previously participated in The Masked Singer US in 2020, where she pointed out the difficulties of trying to disguise her remarkable voice.
Last week, Gilligan guessed that Cricket could be Jamaican musician and TV personality Levi Roots, while McCall thought that Cricket was pretending to be older, and guessed it might be Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades.
Meanwhile, guest judge Charlie Simpson guessed that Maypole was tennis star Emma Radacanu, after she declared that she’d “skipped around the court” and: “I know my net worth.”
Simpson was crowned as the winner of The Masked Singer UK last year, after performing as Rhino. The Busted star beat fellow pop frontman, Kaiser Chiefs singer Ricky Wilson, who was disguised as Phoenix.
McCall, who made Masked Singer history last year with the most amount of correct guesses, said she doesn’t have any secret techniques or knowledge that helps her one-up her fellow judges.
“I might be a one hit wonder!” she said. “I don’t like it when I know 100 per cent who it is. It actually takes the fun out of it for me. It’s much more enjoyable when you think, “do you know what? I think it’s this person, but I’m probably wrong.”
The Masked Singer airs on ITV on Saturday nights, with the final expected to take place in February.
