Replacing Ken Jeong, who's grounded by Covid

Mo Gilligan is to join the panel of TV’s primetime show The Masked Singer.

The comedian will be replacing Ken Jeong when the show returns next year,  with the American comedian stepping down because of the Covid-induced international travel restrictions.

It marks a major career boost for Gilligan, fresh from winning a Bafta award for his late-night Channel 4 show.

He will sit alongside Davina McCall, Rita Ora and Jonathan Ross, all returning to their roles trying to guess which celebrity is singing from beneath an elaborate character costume.

Joel Dommett again hosts the eight episodes, which will begin shooting this autumn. He praised Gilligan as ‘one of the best comedians around right now’ and added: I’m proud to have him on the team - he will provide the good guesses and good looks that Jonathan and I struggle with’.

The last series notched up an audience of 6.6million when catch-up viewings were taken into account.

ITV says Jeong ‘hopes to make an appearance or two during the series.  He remains a huge part of The Masked Singer family and will shortly complete filming on season 4 in the US.’ 

The comic himself said: ‘I had so much fun on season 1 of The Masked Singer UK, I told the team nothing short of a global pandemic would stop me from coming back for Season 2!  I amg utted. I hope when things start to normalise I can return and offer my expertise on all things British, like the Australian Open.  Please take care, be safe, and as the title of the show suggests, wear a mask.’

Gilligan said: ‘It’s a real privilege to be joining The Masked Singer team. It’s one of the funniest shows out there and I’m really proud to play my small part to help bring a little bit of joy to the nation. I can’t wait to join Jonathan, Rita, Davina, Joel and hopefully Ken! Now… let’s get cracking.’

Published: 20 Aug 2020