The Masked Singer final, ITV1, review: No element of surprise meant fishy finale was a damp squib

Telegraph

15-02-2025

Pufferfish might have blown the competition away but the result was a let-down. A predictable batch of reveals and a blandly boring winner meant that a hitherto strong series of The Masked Singer (ITV1) ended with a whimper, not a bang. 'Take it off!' chanted the audience. 'Turn it off!' groaned viewers at home.
After swimming to victory, big-lunged Pufferfish was confirmed to be West End diva Samantha Barks. The piscine performer possessed a serious set of pipes but her identity was so obvious, it sucked all the air out of proceedings. 'TV's biggest musical mystery' relies on the element of surprise, hence this finale was a damp squib.
The sixth series of the kitschy crooning contest reached its climax with three fancy-dressed celebrities standing. It was like a wildlife documentary gone horribly wrong as Pufferfish, Wolf and Dressed Crab battled it out to be crowned champion. All the disguised famous faces had been widely guessed, both online and in the press. Their unmaskings weren't a patch on the franchise's all-time best: Kermit the Frog emerging from a giant snail's shell on the US edition. Although frankly, what could be? Apart perhaps from Miss Piggy riding in on Shergar.
Barks can consider herself fortunate to edge out Dressed Crab, aka runner-up Gregory Porter. The Grammy-winner's velvety soulful voice has been a series standout. Beneath the crustacean costume, Porter sported his signature flat cap with a chin strap. It must have been unbearably sweaty under there. He deserved to scuttle sideways to victory.
In third place was Wolf, hotly tipped to be Wet Wet Wet frontman Marti Pellow. So it proved, despite Jonathan Ross' repeated insistence all series that it was Sir Cliff Richard. A howler if ever there was one. Once he removed his lupine disguise, Pellow performed a crowd-pleasing rendition of Love Is All Around from Four Weddings & A Funeral. A suitably soppy choice for the day after Valentine's.
The panel of Ross, Davina McCall, Maya Jama and McFly's ubiquitous Danny Jones – reigning champion after winning last year's series as Piranha – tried to work out the hopefuls' identities. Joel Dommett hosted with a sparkly tuxedo and cue cards packed with painful puns. His riddle-me-this clues were often reminiscent of retro gameshow 3-2-1. What no Ted Rogers or Dusty Bin?
Jama came into this final having clocked up the most correct guesses. Replacing irritant Rita Ora, she has proved a considerable upgrade. Ross' jokily left-field guesses have become a running joke. Any woman is Mary Berry. Any man is Peter Kay. Indeed, producers should be pulling out all the stops to persuade Kay to sign up for the next series as Garlic Bread.
However, comedian Mo Gilligan's absences due to 'scheduling clashes' were a problem. A revolving cast of rather random replacements - Olympians, actors, basically whoever picks up the phone first - were game enough but felt like a botched solution. If Gilligan can't commit to a primetime show for eight weeks, he should probably bow out.
This has been an enjoyably eventful run for the surreal South Korean sing-off. Highlights have included Pegasus blatantly being Dame Prue Leith, Kingfisher turning out to be artist Sir Grayson Perry and Macy Gray's distinctive raspy vocals giving her away as Toad in the Hole - swiftly followed by Gray stomping off-stage in a huff.
Sure, it's tacky, trashy and unashamedly daft but The Masked Singer's kitschy blend of crowd-pleasing tunes, tongue-in-cheek humour and colourful head-to-toe costumes makes for irresistible, family-friendly fun. It's been a blast of brightness and warmth during the dark winter months.
It's also a rare ITV light entertainment franchise which doesn't depend on Ant and Dec. Don't relax and remove your earplugs yet, though. Just when you thought the noisy Saturday night nonsense was over, it will be replaced in next weekend's schedules by Britain's Got Talent. And guess who's hosting?