# The Masked Dancer (British TV series) series 1

The first series of the British version of The Masked Dancer premiered on ITV on 29 May 2021, and concluded on 5 June 2021. The series was won by Olympic gymnast Louis Smith as "Carwash", with actress/dancer Bonnie Langford finishing second as "Squirrel", and singer Howard Donald placing third as "Zip".

## Production

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. The series consisted of 12 contestants competing through seven episodes. 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. The show premiered on 29 May 2021.

## Panellists and host

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

## Contestants

One of the shows sponsors, Lidl, had a product placement mask known as "Goose", who was unmasked to be Love Island winner Dani Dyer.
Results :
| Stage name | Celebrity | Occupation(s) | Episodes | Episodes | Episodes | Episodes | Episodes | Episodes | Episodes |
| Stage name | Celebrity | Occupation(s) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Carwash | Louis Smith | Olympic gymnast | | WIN | | SAFE | SAFE | RISK | WINNER |
| Squirrel | Bonnie Langford | Actress/dancer | | RISK | | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | RUNNER-UP |
| Zip | Howard Donald | Singer | WIN | | SAFE | | RISK | SAFE | THIRD |
| Scarecrow | Tamzin Outhwaite | Actress | WIN | | SAFE | | SAFE | SAFE | OUT |
| Frog | Kelly Brook | Model/actress | | RISK | | RISK | SAFE | OUT | |
| Knickerbocker Glory | Craig Revel Horwood | Dancer/TV judge | RISK | | RISK | | SAFE | OUT | |
| Llama | Zoe Ball | DJ/TV presenter | WIN | | SAFE | | OUT | | |
| Beagle | Christopher Dean | Olympic ice dancer | | WIN | | SAFE | OUT | | |
| Rubber Chicken | Eddie the Eagle | Olympic ski-jumper | | WIN | | OUT | | | |
| Beetroot | Dita Von Teese | Burlesque dancer | RISK | | OUT | | | | |
| Flamingo | Louise Redknapp | Singer | | OUT | | | | | |
| Viper | Jordan Banjo | Dancer | OUT | | | | | | |
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")

## Episodes
### Episode 3 (31 May)

Performances on the third episode :
| # | Stage name | Song | Result | Result |
| 1 | Knickerbocker Glory | "All That Jazz" by Liza Minnelli | RISK | RISK |
| 2 | Llama | "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish | SAFE | SAFE |
| 3 | Scarecrow | "Timber" by Pitbull feat. Kesha | SAFE | SAFE |
| 4 | Beetroot | "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore | RISK | RISK |
| 5 | Zip | "Jungle Boogie" by Kool & the Gang | SAFE | SAFE |
| Dance-Off | Dance-Off | Dance-Off | Identity | Result |
| 1 | Knickerbocker Glory | "I'm So Excited" by The Pointer Sisters | undisclosed | SAFE |
| 2 | Beetroot | "Ex's & Oh's" by Elle King | Dita Von Teese | OUT |

### Episode 4 (1 June)

Performances on the fourth episode :
| # | Stage name | Song | Result | Result |
| 1 | Carwash | "You're the One That I Want"/"Greased Lightnin'"/"Born to Hand Jive" from Grease | SAFE | SAFE |
| 2 | Rubber Chicken | "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)" by Lou Bega | RISK | RISK |
| 3 | Frog | "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole | RISK | RISK |
| 4 | Beagle | "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley | SAFE | SAFE |
| 5 | Squirrel | "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" by Beyoncé | SAFE | SAFE |
| Dance-Off | Dance-Off | Dance-Off | Identity | Result |
| 1 | Rubber Chicken | "Take a Chance on Me" by ABBA | Eddie the Eagle | OUT |
| 2 | Frog | "Hey Ya!" by Outkast | undisclosed | SAFE |

### Episode 5 (3 June)

* Guest panelist: David Walliams
Performances on the fifth episode :
| # | Stage name | Song | Identity | Result |
| 1 | Frog | "Little Shop of Horrors" from Little Shop of Horrors | undisclosed | SAFE |
| 2 | Beagle | "Fly Me to the Moon" by Frank Sinatra | Christopher Dean | OUT |
| 3 | Carwash | "24K Magic" by Bruno Mars | undisclosed | SAFE |
| 4 | Scarecrow | "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran | undisclosed | SAFE |
| 5 | Squirrel | "Scream" by Usher | undisclosed | SAFE |
| 6 | Zip | "A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay | undisclosed | RISK |
| 7 | Llama | "You Never Can Tell" by Chuck Berry | Zoe Ball | OUT |
| 8 | Knickerbocker Glory | "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels" by Todrick Hall | undisclosed | SAFE |

### Episode 6: Semi-final (4 June)

* Guest panelist: John Bishop
Performances on the sixth episode :
| # | Stage name | Song | Identity | Result |
| 1 | Carwash | "Singin' in the Rain" from Singin' in the Rain | undisclosed | RISK |
| 2 | Frog | "Shout Out to My Ex" by Little Mix | undisclosed | RISK |
| 3 | Squirrel | "Havana" by Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug | undisclosed | SAFE |
| 4 | Zip | "Use It Up and Wear It Out" by Odyssey | undisclosed | SAFE |
| 5 | Knickerbocker Glory | "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee/"Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran | Craig Revel Horwood | OUT |
| 6 | Scarecrow | "Bye Bye Bye" by NSYNC | undisclosed | SAFE |
| Dance-Off | Dance-Off | Dance-Off | Identity | Result |
| 1 | Carwash | "Move Your Feet" by Junior Senior | undisclosed | SAFE |
| 2 | Frog | "One Way or Another" by Blondie | Kelly Brook | OUT |

### Episode 7: Final (5 June)

* Group number: "Dancing in the Street" by Marvin Gaye
* Guest panelist: Holly Willoughby
First performances on the seventh episode :
| # | Stage name | Song | Identity | Result |
| 1 | Scarecrow | "Come Alive" from The Greatest Showman | Tamzin Outhwaite | OUT |
| 2 | Zip | "Super Freak" by Rick James | undisclosed | SAFE |
| 3 | Squirrel | "Bang Bang" by Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj | undisclosed | SAFE |
| 4 | Carwash | "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock | undisclosed | SAFE |
Second performances on the seventh episode :
| # | Stage name | Song | Identity | Result |
| 1 | Zip | "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang/"Good Times" by Chic | Howard Donald | THIRD PLACE |
| 2 | Squirrel | "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift | Bonnie Langford | RUNNER-UP |
| 3 | Carwash | "You're the One That I Want"/"Greased Lightnin'"/"Born to Hand Jive" from Grease | Louis Smith | WINNER |

## Ratings

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.
| Episode | Date | Official 28 day rating (millions) | Weekly rank for ITV |
| 1 | 29 May | 4.02 | 15 |
| 2 | 30 May | — | Outside top 15 |
| 3 | 31 May | 3.67 | 14 |
| 4 | 1 June | 3.41 | 15 |
| 5 | 3 June | 3.75 | 13 |
| 6 | 4 June | 3.98 | 12 |
| 7 | 5 June | 4.65 | 7 |