Brace yourselves: The Masked Dancer’s second season is finally here, with 12 new celebrities donning extravagant disguises, ready to show off their dancing skills — or to definitively prove that they’ve got two left feet on national television.
Among the season 2 hopefuls vying to follow in the fancy footsteps of last season’s winner Louis Smith is Pearly King, who has already emerged as a firm favourite with the show’s judging panel — though that’s down to the contestant’s sense of fun, rather than strong dancing expertise.
Could personality propel Pearly King all the way to the final? Stranger things have certainly happened on The Masked Dancer.
But which famous face is hiding underneath Pearly King’s lion’s mane?
The clues are few and far between for now, but here’s what we know so far.
Who is The Masked Dancer’s Pearly King?
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Ahead of season 2’s opening episode, potential pointers about Pearly King’s identity are pretty scarce, and all we have to go on is the outfit. Does the traditional get-up mean this dancer is a London legend? And could the lion reference be a link to a high profile sporting career?
What we do know is that Pearly King has already made a huge impression on the judges — and especially on presenter Joel Dommett, who says they’ve struck up a bizarre bond.
“Sometimes I don’t really know whether it’s sort of a father and son relationship or whether it’s a sort of flirting relationship,” he said. “I’m not really sure what is going on, but it’s very dynamic.”
Dommett also said that Pearly King is his “absolute favourite” because they “embrace the whole character”.
“It’s amazing and what makes this show wonderful is that it’s not really in any way a talent. You can be an amazing singer or dancer, but Pearly King isn’t the best dancer by country mile but he’s embracing it and courts the audience, he’s really enjoying it and I think that can get you really far.
“The more you enjoy it, the more people enjoy watching you.”
A backhanded compliment, but a compliment nonetheless — and is that “he” another (albeit very vague) clue?
Judge Oti Mabuse also described Pearly King as “an absolute character, a big personality. It’s not about how they dance but how they interact with Joel and how Joel reacts to them.” Intriguing.
When does The Masked Dancer start?
More clues about Pearly King’s identity will be unveiled on Saturday 10th September, when the next episode of The Masked Dancer airs on ITV at 6:50pm, and judges Mabuse, newbie Peter Crouch, Jonathan Ross and Davina McCall will do their best to find out who’s hiding behind the mask.
This is a slightly later start, as ITV confirmed their Saturday schedule following the Queen’s passing.
The Masked Dancer is airing on ITV this autumn. To find out what else is on TV, check out our TV Guide or visit our hub for more Entertainment news.
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