THE Masked Dancer has returned to ITV with costumes that are even more outrageous than ever before.
It’s now up to the judges to figure out who the 12 new celebrities are that will be taking to the stage this year.
Who are the Masked Dancer UK judges?
Once again Joel Dommett returns as host and will be providing humour and commentary as the panel tries to guess who is behind the mask.
Returning judges are Jonathan Ross, Oti Mabuse and Davina McCall.
They will be joined by Peter Crouch who has replaced Mo Gilligan as he is currently out on tour.
Speaking of his disappointment about missing the new series, Mo said: “I love being a part of the Masked Team so I’m gutted to be missing most of the series this year as I’ll be working in the US.”
Davina McCall
Davina McCall also judged on the US show
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t seen a show that Davina McCall has been a part of – whether as host or judge.
The Wimbledon star is best known as being the original presenter of Big Brother while it was on Channel 4 from 2000 and 2010.
Since 2020, she has been a judge on the competition show The Masked Singer.
She joined the spin-off of the show, The Masked Dancer in 2021.
Oti Mabuse
Oti Mabuse has returned as a judge on the ITV show
Oti Mabuse, 32, joined the judging lineup last series in place of Rita Ora.
This was because Rita was filming The Voice in Australia at the time, hence the casting change.
Oti rose to fame as a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, winning the series two times.
In 2021, she decided to step away from Strictly and venture into becoming a new judge for Dancing on Ice.
Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross knows how to spot different dance styles
Jonathan Ross, 61, will be keeping hold of his seat on the judging panel.
He thinks of himself as a bit of a dancing maestro, saying: “What people don’t know is that secretly I am an expert in dance and can spot a ball change from a box step no problem.
“The title of best detective on the panel is most certainly coming my way!”
Peter Crouch
Peter Crouch has joined the panel of judges
Peter James Crouch is a 41-year-old English former professional footballer who played as a striker.
He currently holds the record for the most headed goals in Premier League history.
Speaking about joining The Masked Dancer as a judge, Peter 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.”
He continued: “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!”
When does the Masked Dancer start on ITV?
The Masked Dancer kicked off on ITV on Saturday, September 3 at 6.30 pm.
The next lot of celebrities will make their dancing debut at the same time on Saturday, September 10.
Fear not if you miss any episodes as can catch it again on Sunday morning on ITV at 11.25 am, or over on the ITV Hub.
There will be seven 90-minute episodes airing in total.
What is The Masked Dancer about?
The Masked Dancer is a British version of the American show of the same name, which is itself a spin-off of The Masked Singer.
The series is a competition show in which celebrities are disguised while judges attempt to guess who they are.
ITV say: “The new format will feature 12 celebrities stepping onto the dancefloor to take on character alter egos as they trip the light fantastic in a bid to wow the panel and confuse with their moves.
“Clue packages will accompany every Masked Dancer to help the panel and at-home detectives crack the case of who the famous faces behind the masks are.”
