The Masked Singer recommissioned for further two series

Bandicoot wins double recommission from ITV for The Masked Singer, as Series 3 finale of TV’s greatest guessing game soars to season high

London, UK – 14 February 2022 (immediate) – ITV has today confirmed that Scottish indie Bandicoot Scotland, part of the Argonon Group and one of the UK’s fastest growing production companies, has been recommissioned to produce two more series of the RTS and International Emmy award-winning entertainment juggernaut The Masked Singer.

After the final secured ITV’s highest overnight audience of 2022 to date, soaring to a third season high of 7.8m for a huge 45% share of total viewing - with nearly half of all younger viewers (46.6% of the available 16-34 demographic) tuning into ITV for the show - fans of TV’s greatest guessing game can look forward to two more 8 x 90’ series of surreal singing, colourful character costumes, crazily compelling clues and surprising famous faces.

The most spectacular season to date came to a climactic crescendo on Saturday night, with Aussie winner Natalie Imbruglia unmasked as Panda. As last year’s masked champion Joss Stone joined the superstar celebrity detectives Mo Gilligan, Rita Ora, Davina McCall and Jonathan Ross, Saturday night’s show saw Charlotte Church display her vast vocal range as she was finally unveiled as Mushroom and Westlife’s talented Mark Feehily revealed as Robobunny.

The final show saw three extra special guests return to The Masked Singer stage, as Nicola Roberts (Queen Bee), Jason Manford (Hedgehog) and Aston Merrygold (Robin) performed dazzling duets with the finalists.

Host Joel Dommett presided over an eclectic mix of celebrity singers unmasked during the eight-part series, including Heather Small, Michael Owen, Jaime Winstone, Will Young, Michelle Williams, Gloria Hunniford, Pat Cash and Tom Chaplin, with global superstar Joan Collins making a special guest appearance as a fifth panellist in the semi-final.

Bandicoot MD Derek McLean and Creative Director Daniel Nettleton said: “The third series of The Masked Singer has underscored its’ unique position in British television as an unrivalled Saturday night powerhouse and the UK’s biggest entertainment show. The phenomenal audience reaction is evidenced by the vast viewing figures, fantastic fan engagement and unparalleled levels of social media sleuthing. We’re delighted that ITV has shown its long-term commitment to the show and with two new series of musical mayhem in the pipeline, we are already plotting the next spectacularly surreal season.”

Katie Rawcliffe, ITV Head of Entertainment Commissioning said: “The Masked Singer has once again established itself as unmissable event television, keeping the nation guessing throughout its glorious eight week run. We’re already counting down to see who’s hiding behind those infamous masks in 2023 and look forward to welcoming the series back to ITV and ITV Hub next year.”

The series is produced by Bandicoot Scotland, part of Argonon. The series is executive produced by Derek McLean, Daniel Nettleton and Claire Horton. It was commissioned for ITV by Head of Entertainment Commissioning Katie Rawcliffe and Commissioning Editor Joe Mace.

The Masked Dancer, also produced by Bandicoot, returns for a second series on ITV and ITV Hub in 2022.

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Notes to editors:

About Bandicoot

Founded in 2017 by Derek McLean and Daniel Nettleton in a joint venture with Argonon, the multi award-winning Bandicoot TV devises and produces entertainment, reality and factual entertainment formats. In addition to producing three series of The Masked Singer UK for ITV, with the first season winning an International Emmy for Entertainment, the prestigious RTS Programme Award – Entertainment and an RTS Craft & Design Award in 2020 for Costume Design – Entertainment & Non-Drama, Bandicoot also produced The Masked Dancer which aired earlier this year on ITV and will be returning in 2022 for a new series.  Other commissions include Peckham’s Finest, currently enjoying a ten-part run on ITV2. Previous commissions include ITV Hub series The Masked Singer: Unmasked; two series of Test Drive for BBC Scotland which was nominated in the entertainment category at the BAFTA Scotland Awards 2020 and Chase the Case, a 20-part series for BBC One. Bandicoot has several new projects in the pipeline.

About Argonon Group

Founded in 2011 by CEO James Burstall, Argonon is the second largest UK-owned production group, producing content including The Masked Singer UK (Bandicoot Scotland for ITV1), Worzel Gummidge (Leopard Pictures for BBC One), Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard (Windfall Films for BBC One), Hard Cell (Leopard Pictures for Netflix), Dispatches (BriteSpark Films for Channel 4) and Cash in the Attic (Leopard USA for discovery+). Headquartered in London, New York and LA with further offices in Liverpool and Glasgow, Argonon is an independent production group led by a board of creatives and entrepreneurs including James Burstall (CEO), Laura Bessell (COO) and David Dugan (Chairman, Windfall Films). The group consists of eight companies producing multi award-winning content for a wide range of major broadcasters, platforms and brands in the UK, US and across the world. The companies produce content across all genres and of all lengths, specialising in factual, factual entertainment, entertainment, drama, arts, comedy, and children’s programming. Argonon has won 125 awards including Emmys, BAFTAs and RTS Awards and received over 180 nominations. Argonon is made up of Leopard Pictures, Leopard USA, Windfall Films, BriteSpark Films, Bandicoot, Like A Shot,  Studio Leo and Nemorin. Clients range from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky, Discovery, Nat Geo, Facebook Watch, PBS, HGTV, A&E and UKTV to Credit Suisse, American Express, McDonald’s, Hugo Boss, My Single Friend, Net-a-Porter and Nationwide.