The Masked Dancer (British series 1)

On 4 March 2021, it was announced that ITV were producing a local version of the American television dancing competition The Masked Dancer following the success of its sister show The Masked Singer.[1] The series consisted of 12 contestants competing through seven episodes.[2] The series was commissioned as a replacement in the spring schedule for Britain's Got Talent, which had its upcoming fifteenth series postponed until 2022 due to health and safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4] The show premiered on 29 May 2021.[5][6]

Series 1 panellists and host

Mo Gilligan

Davina McCall

Jonathan Ross

Joel Dommett

Following the announcement of the series, it was confirmed by ITV that the panel would consist of presenter and comedian Jonathan Ross, television presenter Davina McCall, and comedian Mo Gilligan, who are all panellists on The Masked Singer, along with Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse. It was also confirmed that Joel Dommett would host the show.[1]

Guest panellists included David Walliams in the fifth episode, John Bishop in the sixth episode, and Holly Willoughby in the seventh episode.[7][8]

One of the shows sponsors, Lidl, had a product placement mask known as "Goose", who was unmasked to be Love Island winner Dani Dyer.[9]

The celebrities who competed in the first series of The Masked Dancer, pictured in order of elimination (L–R):

Louise Redknapp ("Flamingo"), Dita Von Teese ("Beetroot"), Eddie the Eagle ("Rubber Chicken"), Christopher Dean ("Beagle"), Zoe Ball ("Llama"), Craig Revel Horwood ("Knickerbocker Glory"), Kelly Brook ("Frog"), Tamzin Outhwaite ("Scarecrow"), Howard Donald ("Zip"), Bonnie Langford ("Squirrel"), and Louis Smith ("Carwash")

Not pictured: Jordan Banjo ("Viper")

Official ratings are taken from BARB, utilising the four-screen dashboard which includes viewers who watched the programme on laptops, smartphones, and tablets within 28 days of the original broadcast.[11]