The origin of Toastie’s Masked Singer costume is the stuff of nightmares

Toastie on The Masked Singer.
There’s a good reason why Toastie’s distraught face might make you feel uncomfortable(Picture: ITV/Kieron McCarron)

Of all of The Masked Singer UK costumes this year, Toastie is one of the most memorable.

Not just because of the incredible design of the character, with the cheese dripping down their outfit onto their shoes, their woolly hat and zip-up jacket, but because of their expression.

The team that created Toastie’s look could have given them a beaming smile, in keeping with the overall cheery nature of the show.

But instead, the cartoonish figure looks downright terrified, and the reason for this choice of expression is the stuff of nightmares, costume designer Tim Simpson told Metro.

Tim, who’s the creative director at Plunge Creations, explained that the concept behind Toastie was that they’ve been ‘bitten into, and so they’re ‘already terrified about their imminent demise’.

‘That was the idea with Toastie, that this is a Toastie that is absolutely terrified that it’s being eaten. So the glance to the left is very much a sense of fear,’ he shared.

Who are you rooting for to win The Masked Singer UK?

Want to get bespoke updates on the TV shows you love? Sign up to Metro’s TV newsletters and tell us which ones you can’t get enough of

‘I don’t think we’ve put fear into any of our costumes before, and so that kind of appealed to my sense of the ridiculous.’

It’s no accident that previous costumes on The Masked Singer haven’t incorporated a ‘sense of fear’, as Tim believes that there’s a ‘reluctance to do anything that’s going to scare the audience, or worry children’.

‘But I think there is some space for that. I think there’s some space to create a little bit of mischievous fear,’ he added.

‘There’s something slightly demonic about Gargoyle, if you want to take it that way, except it looks so big and smiley. There’s a reason we’ve avoided clowns, because so many people are scared of clowns.

‘So there are things that we shy away from. But I like to push the envelope, so who knows what I’ll try and suggest next year.’

The ‘demonic’ but adorable-looking Gargoyle was revealed to be singer Marcella Detroit (Picture: ITV/Kieron McCarron)

However, Tim pointed out that this isn’t the first time The Masked Singer UK has veered towards the playfully scary.

On New Year’s Day in 2023, pundit Chris Kamara was revealed to be Ghost on the programme – and his costume was literally a sheet with eyes placed over the top.

Proof that sometimes, even the simplest designs can be incredibly effective and entertaining.

‘I think you can be playful with all of these things. I think you can play around. We’ve done a ghost, but it really wasn’t a very scary ghost,’ Tim said.

‘We’ve done a slightly demonic-looking Gargoyle. One day, maybe we’ll end up with vampires and ghoulies.’

So far on this year’s series, Toastie has delivered several belting performances, delivering renditions of classic songs including Aerosmith and Run-DMC’s Walk This Way, Benson Boone’s Beautiful Things and Whitney Houston’s Run To You.

When it comes to guessing Toastie’s identity, the judges have suggested stars such as Mel C, Jennifer Hudson, Fergie and Brenda Edwards.

Stay tuned to find out who’s behind the petrified mask!

The Masked Singer UK returns tonight at 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Arrow
MORE: Soap fans lash out at bizarre trend shows are using too much

Arrow
MORE: Where to watch Wuthering Heights adaptations ahead of Emerald Fennell’s ‘controversial’ new version

Arrow
MORE: Emmerdale’s perfect Cain episode blew Coronation Street’s special out of the water

Comment now

Comments

Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google

Add as preferred source

TV Newsletter