The new series of The Masked Singer UK has begun, and tragically, Weather is the first participant to leave.
The singing superstar revealed herself to be none other than soul music great Dionne Warwick, 83, who captivated the crowd with her version of I Can See Clearly Now.
While fans were outraged that an icon of her calibre would be evicted first by panellists Mo Gilligan, Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, and Charlie Simpson (in Rita Ora‘s absence), they have remained curious about the other disguised singers.
Maypole, Cricket, Rat, Bigfoot, and Dippy Egg were among the other characters who performed on the first night, so what hints and ideas have emerged about Maypole thus far?
Maypole was in risk of elimination after singing Pink’s Never Gonna Not Dance Again, but she survived to twirl another day.
What clues are there for Maypole’s identity?
Here’s what we got so far based on the clues package in the VT and the conundrum they gave the panel…
- They appear to have an American accent – but the panellists think it could be fake
- Maypole says they have ‘more than one ribbon to my bow’, hinting they are multi-talented
- They describe themselves as a ‘model Maypole’ – perhaps they are a model?
- They ‘skipped their way to success’, which was ‘first time lucky’
- A doll is perched on a chair with a silver medal around their neck, a sign that they have maybe won an award of their own
- They try to ‘know their net worth’ – is net a reference to tennis?
- A weather vane is shown pointing in the direction of South West
- They’re ready to ‘have a ball’ – either someone who dances or plays a sport that involves balls?
- After their first performance, the clue they gave the judges was: ‘The audience are watching so I’ll give it the sell. It’s something I’ve learnt since the year of Orwell.’
- George Orwell wrote the book 1984, so Maypole could have been born in 1984.
Who could Maypole be?
The panellists have already tossed several high-profile names around as possible suspects behind Maypole’s flamboyant disguise.
Anne-Marie
Davina, one of the panellists, brought out various indications that led her to believe Anne-Marie was the person beneath Maypole’s disguise.
According to Davina, the character stated that they had various “ribbons to their bow,” implying that they have done “lots of different things” throughout their lives.
Anne-Marie, in addition to being a singer, is also a coach on The Voice UK and a karate champion.
The weather vane was pointing south west – meaning, one direction – and Anne-Marie collaborated on a track with One Direction vocalist Niall Horan.
Do these hints stack up for you?
Emma Raducanu
As Busted star Charlie pointed out, Maypole’s clue package includes multiple references to tennis, such as the phrases “net worth” and “skipping around the court.”
If the singer’s American accent is phoney, his guess that US Open winner Emma Raducanu is behind the mask may not be so far-fetched.
So, does the 21-year-old tennis prodigy have a musical skill up her sleeve?
The first episode of The Masked Singer UK’s new series began with the explanation that Rita was not on the panel since she was in America.
But was it actually because she was pretending to be Maypole?
Mo appeared to believe so, and his reasoning was bolstered by his interpretation of the clues, which included allusions to stitching and greens as he informed the audience that she is vegan.
Has Mo discovered the actual cause for the missing panelist’s absence?
Theresa May
Jonathan, the host of the talk programme, chose a more out-of-the-box estimate… (You’re welcome for the pun).
They were shown racing across a field in Maypole’s clue package, which immediately reminded him of former Prime Minister Theresa May’s admission that running through a field of wheat is one of the naughtiest things she’s ever done in her life.
Using the ‘pole’ in Maypole’s name to relate to a voting poll and the ‘May’ to presumably refer to the politician’s surname, he chose her as his week one guess.
What do you reckon?
The Masked Singer continues on Saturday at 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX.