The new series of has officially kicked off, with Weather sadly being the first contestant to depart.
The singing sensation was unmasked as , 83, who delighted the audience with her rendition of I Can See Clearly Now.
While that an icon of her stature would be eliminated first by panelists , , and Charlie Simpson (in ’s absence), they have continued to wonder .
The other characters who performed on the first night were Maypole, Cricket, Rat, Bigfoot and Dippy Egg – so what clues and theories are floating about for Maypole so far?
After singing Pink’s Never Gonna Not Dance Again, Maypole was put at risk of elimination, but managed to make it through to twirl another day.
What clues are there for Maypole’s identity?
From the clues package in the VT and the riddle they gave the panel, here’s what we have so far…
- They appear to have an American accent – but the panellists think it could be fake
- Maypole says they have ‘more than one ribbon to my bow’, hinting they are multi-talented
- They describe themselves as a ‘model Maypole’ – perhaps they are a model?
- They ‘skipped their way to success’, which was ‘first time lucky’
- A doll is perched on a chair with a silver medal around their neck, a sign that they have maybe won an award of their own
- They try to ‘know their net worth’ – is net a reference to tennis?
- A weather vane is shown pointing in the direction of South West
- They’re ready to ‘have a ball’ – either someone who dances or plays a sport that involves balls?
- After their first performance, the clue they gave the judges was: ‘The audience are watching so I’ll give it the sell. It’s something I’ve learnt since the year of Orwell.’
- George Orwell wrote the book 1984, so Maypole could have been born in 1984.
Who could Maypole on The Masked Singer be?
The panelists have already thrown some very high-profile names about as suggestions for who could be lurking behind Maypole’s colourful mask.
Anne-Marie
Panelists Davina pointed out several clues that had her thinking could be the person behind Maypole’s mask.
The character said that they have several ‘ribbons to their bow’, insinuating that they have done ‘lots of different things’ in their life, Davina said.
In addition to being a singer, Anne-Marie is also a coach on The Voice UK and is a karate champion.
The weather vane was pointing in the direction of south west – aka, one direction – and Anne-Marie released a single with One Direction singer Niall Horan.
Are these clues adding up for you?
Emma Raducanu
As Busted star Charlie highlighted, Maypole’s clue package included several nods to tennis, including the phrase ‘net worth’ and ‘skipping around the court’.
If the singer’s American accent is in fact fake, then his prediction that US Open champion could be behind the mask might not be too farfetched.
So could the 21-year-old tennis superstar have a musical talent hidden up her sleeve?
Rita Ora
At the start of the first episode of The Masked Singer UK’s new series, it was explained that Rita wasn’t on the panel because she was in America.
But… was it really because she was secretly performing as Maypole?
Mo seemed to think so, and his belief was supported by his interpretation of the clues, including references to sewing and greens, as he infomed the audience that she is vegan.
Has Mo sussed out the true reason behind the missing panelist’s absence?
Theresa May
Talkshow host Jonathan decided to go with a more left-field guess… (and yes, you’re welcome for the pun).
In Maypole’s clue package, they were seen running through a field – which immediately reminded him of former Prime Minister ’s revelation that one of the naughtiest things she’s ever done in her life is run through a field of wheat.
Taking the ‘pole’ from Maypole’s name to refer to a voting poll, and the ‘May’ to possibly nod to the politician’s surname, he decided to choose her as his guess for week one.
What do you reckon?
The Masked Singer continues on Saturday at 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
