Will you guess who is The Masked Singer?

Cast your mind back to January 4 this year. As millions of us stared blankly at those credit card bills while trying to stick to that post-Christmas diet, Joel Dommett rocked up on ITV with a show which shook some viewers to their core.

The Masked Singer felt like someone had slipped something in the nation’s water supply; a collective hallucination where the once safe, reliable Saturday night shiny floor shows had mutated.

It was like getting TV from another dimension – an alternative version of Blighty where Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Rita Ora and Ken Jeong were trying to guess the identities of assorted disguised celebrities.

The fact Ken spent many a week saying: “I know exactly who this is,” when there wasn’t a chance of said celebrity making an appearance didn’t detract from the fun one bit.

Obviously we’ve had plenty of offbeat Saturday night shows over the years, but TMS seemed to take bizarre to a whole new level. However, in those dark, depressing days, when millions of us looked forward to a summer 2020 holiday, something strange happened.

The show, inspired by South Korean strand King of Masked Singer, became compelling TV, not least for those who had been with it since episode one. The joy of then sitting oblivious loved ones down and saying “Watch this,” was strangely satisfying as their eyes grew wide and jaws hit the floor.

It was also great fun taking to social media and guessing who the likes of Hedgehog was. With his steampunk attire and amazing singing voice, it had to be Jason Manford, didn’t it?

Well, yes it was, but the level of security attached to the project blew his mind. Jason was driven to a hangar in London to protect his identity, and signed a non-disclosure agreement to ensure he wouldn’t let the cat out of the bag.

Of course it wasn’t just Jason who went through a process worthy of MI5. England footballer Teddy Sheringham also went to great lengths to ensure his identity as Tree didn’t lead to an own goal; flame-haired EastEnders veteran Patsy Palmer dazzled as Butterfly, and Celebrity Gogglebox regular Denise Van Outen wowed the masses as Fox.

If you’d said when the show originally aired that by July everyone in Blighty would be legally obliged to wear masks, some would have thought you’d been taking the contest too seriously. What a difference seven months makes, especially in shops.

For those who have been craving more inspired lunacy with Mr Jeong and other famous faces, this American version has been a great way to ease those summertime blues in recent weeks.

Blurring the line between fantasy and reality is singer and judge Robin Thicke, whose controversial video for Blurred Lines attracted 672 million views on one video-sharing site.

Former model Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg and Pussycat Doll/ace yoghurt saleswoman Nicole Scherzinger will also be passing judgement during the latest edition, while Nick Cannon hosts.

Will Ken once more know “exactly who this is” as Fox, Ladybug, Flower, Tree and Rottweiler perform?

More than likely, but the big question is: will you?

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