{"id":401369,"date":"2026-01-31T22:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T22:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/401369\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T22:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T22:54:10","slug":"the-masked-singer-leaves-viewers-aghast-as-red-pandas-identity-is-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/401369\/","title":{"rendered":"The Masked Singer leaves viewers aghast as Red Panda’s identity is revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"This
\n\t\tRed Panda is out of The Masked Singer! (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n

As The Masked Singer<\/a> UK 2026 heats up, with the semi-final next week, another celebrity has been revealed in an electrifying elimination.<\/p>\n

Tonight, Can of Worms<\/a>, Toastie<\/a>, Conkers<\/a>, Moth<\/a>, Red Panda<\/a>, and Sloth<\/a> all performed for panellists Davina McCall<\/a>, Jonathan Ross<\/a>, Maya Jama<\/a>, and Mo Gilligan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But sadly for Red Panda, despite all their attempts to conceal their identity with cryptic clues and remain in the competition by delivering entertaining performances, the game is up.<\/p>\n

And upon the character\u2019s elimination, viewers were stunned to find beloved comedian Harry Hill<\/a> beneath the mask.<\/p>\n

Previous guesses from the panel included Tom Fletcher of McFly, Professor Brian Cox, comedian Alan Carr, and podcaster Chris Ramsey, with Mo particularly frustrated after guessing Harry was Kingfisher<\/a> for the whole of the 2025 series.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019d like to apologise to Alan Carr<\/a>,\u2019 Harry joked after his unmasking, having imitated the Chatty Man\u2019s distinctive voice to throw everyone off the scent.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"The
\n\t\tIt was only Harry Hill! (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"The
\n\t\tThe TV Burp icon has long been a name thrown out on the show \u2013 so he finally did it (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"The
\n\t\tThe panel failed to identify him, the Alan Carr-esque voice throwing them off completely (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n

Clues in Red Panda\u2019s VTs involved a makeup artist dancing in rave gear, which pointed towards Harry\u2019s past TV show Harry Hill\u2019s Clubnite, while the can of \u2018XL tomato soup\u2019 was a nod to the cover of his DVD Harry Hill\u2019s Cream of TV Burp.<\/p>\n

Among the more bizarre hints was a line about \u2018following your nose\u2019, which was in reference to Harry being able to play the nose flute.<\/p>\n

And, in typical Masked Singer fashion, the clues really were everwhere \u2013 even on his costume. Red Panda\u2019s attire featured a clapperboard, which was pointing towards The Harry Hill Movie.<\/p>\n

Reacting to the 61-year-old You\u2019ve Been Framed host\u2019s reveal, viewers took to X in shock.<\/p>\n

\u2018Harry Hill!! as if!! Every year i have guessed him and the only year I don\u2019t he is on!\u2019, wrote @mrsdazo.<\/p>\n

@atvfriend added that they were \u2018convinced\u2019 Red Panda was Celebrity Traitors winner Alan, thanks to the impression, while @DizzyEllena1 said Harry was \u2018amazing\u2019 on the show.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"This
\n\t\tRed Panda\u2019s first performance was never shown on TV (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n

\u2018I am loving this resurgence of Harry Hill into public life\u2019, wrote @Tales_TimeLord, while a string of others demanded that TV Burp be revived.<\/p>\n

Speaking in a post-unmasking Q&A, the TV Burp legend acknowledged how \u2018pretty much every year\u2019, his name pops up in connection with the programme, as he\u2019ll receive text messages asking if he is behind certain characters \u2013 so, he finally decided to give it a go for real.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s tempting sometimes to take yourself a bit too seriously,\u2019 he said of taking part. \u2018I think previously, when the idea had come up, I thought, \u201cOh no.\u201d But actually, it\u2019s really good fun.\u2019<\/p>\n

Asked how he kept his Masked Singer stint a secret, he explained: \u2018I would have told them [his children], but my wife said no, don\u2019t tell them. And she\u2019s a brilliant liar. Quite a worryingly good liar. <\/p>\n

\u2018I came back from filming one day, and one of them was at home. She said, \u201cWhere\u2019s Dad been?\u201d, and my wife said, \u201cHe\u2019s been doing a pilot with Alan Carr.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s always Alan Carr. I\u2019m sorry to keep mentioning him.\u2019<\/p>\n

Red Panda had quite a turbulent start to this series, as Harry\u2019s first performance was not aired<\/a> out of concerns it would be viewed as insensitive.<\/p>\n

He initially sang The Trammp\u2019s 1976 hit Disco Inferno, which was scrapped from the launch episode at the last minute due to its lyrics and the fiery imagery. Just days earlier, 40 people were killed, and over 100 were seriously injured in a bar fire in Switzerland.<\/p>\n

Red Panda subsequently remained absent from the edit for a few weeks before making a comeback<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere in tonight\u2019s episode, the elusive Mole Dommett was also unmasked, having debuted on the scene a couple of weeks ago to help the panel with their guessing.<\/p>\n

But after directing them to various clues and assisting with their detective work, the furry creature \u2013 whose name is, of course, a play on that of host Joel Dommett<\/a> \u2013 turned out to be Olly Murs<\/a> all along!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s certainly been an eventful seventh series of The Masked Singer thus far, as we kicked off with the arrival of two house bands, fronted by Goldfish and Emperor Penguin.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"The
\n\t\tMole Dommett\u2019s identity was also revealed\u2026 as Olly Murs! (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"The
\n\t\tHe had been helping the panel with their guessing (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n

The pair were soon unmasked as pop star Anne-Marie<\/a> and Little Britain comedian Matt Lucas<\/a>, who both joined the panel as guest stars when the contest got fully underway.<\/p>\n

In our first official elimination of the series, The One Show<\/a> host Alex Jones left everyone aghast by revealing that she was Disc Jockey<\/a>, as not a single person predicted she would be.<\/p>\n

And the surprises just kept coming, with the next week seeing rapper Professor Green<\/a> lift off Teabag\u2019s costume, despite the panel guessing it could\u2019ve been Richard Osman or Judge Rinder.<\/p>\n

In the third week, we had\u00a0Yak\u2019s unmasking<\/a>, with Sex Pistols icon John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, underneath, before another music legend, American singer-songwriter Marcella Detroit<\/a>, was unveiled as Gargoyle.<\/p>\n

Then, most recently, ITV treated us to a double whammy, unmasking both Monkey Business and Arctic Fox<\/a> last weekend.<\/p>\n

Musician Kate Nash was the one underneath Monkey Business\u2019s incredible costume, again, with no one expecting the Foundations hitmaker to be uncovered as the voice they\u2019d been listening to.<\/p>\n

As for Arctic Fox, the glamorous character transpired to be none other than Anton Du Beke, who put all his Strictly Come Dancing performing experience into practice to go undetected week after week.<\/p>\n

Now, just five contestants remain in the show, all of whom are hoping to take the torch from last series\u2019 winner Samantha Barks and be crowned champion in the final.<\/p>\n

The Masked Singer continues next weekend on ITV1 and ITVX.<\/p>\n

Got a story?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n

Arrow
\nMORE: The Masked Singer star Sloth \u2018nearly scared ITV production team behind the scenes\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Arrow
\nMORE: Maya Jama and Ruben Dias\u2019 \u00a34,000,000 home ransacked by burglars leaving couple \u2018shaken\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Arrow
\nMORE: \u2018No one can replace Warren Clarke\u2019: Crime drama fans fear reboot will ruin show<\/a><\/p>\n


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