ITV have confirmed Red Panda will return to the show in the following weeks
19:23, 03 Jan 2026Updated 21:16, 03 Jan 2026
Red Panda’s performance was removed from the episode (Image: ITV)
TV bosses have taken the decision to remove a star from the first episode of new The Masked Singer series, it has been confirmed.
The hit show returns to TV tonight (January 3). But a last-minute change saw ITV adjust the schedule to start ten minutes later than originally expected.
For another year, judges Davina McCall, Maya Jama, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan all rejoined the judging panel. They were presented with another cohort of famous faces, offering up clue by clue as they try and guess “who’s that behind the mask”.
Viewers will recall that Maya Jama took over from Rita Ora last year, with suggestions that it was to focus on her music and other aspects of her career away from the ITV series. As the new series kicks off, the 12 new contestants will be split into two groups with six performing each episode until they’re merged together when they start to get eliminated.
In group one, we have: Red Panda, Moth, Disc Jockey, Gargoyle, Sloth and Can of Worms. Group two we have: Conkers, Arctic Fox, Toastie, Teabag, Yak and Monkey Business.
But it has now been confirmed that Red Panda’s performance had to be removed from the episode and the show re-edited due to lyrics in the song proving potentially insensitive to the recent tragedy in Switzerland.
An ITV spokesperson told Manchester Evening News: “In light of the tragic events in Switzerland, we took the decision to remove Red Panda’s performance on The Masked Singer in tonight’s programme owing to potential insensitivities within the theme and lyrics of the song. Viewers will get to see Red Panda perform in the coming weeks.”
Around 40 people were killed and another 115 injured after a bar fire in the New Year’s Eve nightclub tragedy at the tourist destination of Crans-Montana in Valais.
The blaze broke out at approximately 1.30am on Thursday amid New Year festivities at Le Constellation bar. Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they witnessed a male bartender lifting a female colleague onto his shoulders, with the woman holding an illuminated sparkler attached to a bottle.
The country is set to hold five days of mourning following what is potentially one of Switzerland’s worst tragedies. Valais Canton police commander Frederic Gisler said during a news conference that work was under way to identify the victims and inform their families, adding that the community was “devastated”.
The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theatre at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, said Mathias Reynard, head of the regional government of the Valais Canton.
ITV reassured that Red Panda will be back to perform in the upcoming weeks of the competition as the stars compete to be the last face unmasked in front of the judges.