The Masked Singer Christmas special
Dec. 28th, 2024 06:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessAlso watched on catch-up. It started with a summary of what was coming up. French and Saunders were replacing the ladies on the panel (there was talk of Davina having diarrhoea, and I presumed this was filmed before the brain tumour). They would then go on to guess people who have already been on the show – not that there’s a set rule that you can only compete once under one guise, I suppose. I loved Dawn’s silver bob and had no idea what Joel had on his head. There were four masked singers and two sounded like proper singers in the opening routine.
There would be two head to heads, with the losers being unmasked immediately, and then another head to head, with the runner up and winner being unmasked in turn.
First was Christmas Cracker – cue almost too many clues in their package (if they were from a soap, it probably wasn’t’ EastEnders, given the ‘Cockney’ accent.) They had a very busy outfit, sang in tune and performed confidently. I thought they were probably older than AJ Odube (suggested by Dawn French.) There was some nonsense about extra clues coming down a chimney that looked as if they hadn’t bothered to rehearse with Joel, and the clues were mystifying in all cases.
Up against them: Star, in a brilliant costume (made up of different styles of wrapping paper) although they couldn’t move much in it. I had no clue from the clues. She turned out to be a proper singer, and had swooning polar bears backing her. The panel weren’t sure if she was American or not, or who she was.
The better singer (Star) went through, yay. Christmas Cracker was Josie Gibson, which nobody got close to guessing (I absolve myself because I barely know anything about her beyond her being the one on This Morning with a strong West country accent.)
The next head to head involved Turkey Crown, who had a basic but effective costume. The main takeaway for me from their package was that they were probably part of a celebrity family. By the time they sang, it was clear they were a woman. Not a singer, and Dawn was gone soon after the performance began: why WERE some of the carrots lying down all performance?
Nutcracker was a squirrel in a soldier suit, and the clues seemed to suggest they’d been a footballer in 96. He sounded like an older gentleman. I thought he was black and was unsure if he was a professional singer. Some of the dancers were dressed up as giant sheep with sparkly cars around their waists.
Nutcracker was saved, again, because nobody knew who he was, but he could carry a tune. (Could this voting audience stay for the series proper?) It turned out that Turkey Crown was Motsi Mabuse, and nobody had come close to guessing her. (I like to imagine that she asked Shirley if she should do it, and Shirley said she should, although it probably had more to do with agents. I also like to imagine that Anton and Craig are vainer about their singing.)
For the final head to head, Star was singing with a man in a dog costume. She sounded a bit older the second time around, but then did star jumps. She arguably didn’t reveal any new facets to her singing.
Nutcracker sang his second song better, and also had simpler staging, with the dancers as puppet soldiers. Apparently it was close, but Nutcracker won, although I thought Star had the better voice.
And then it was revealed that Star was DAVINA. She’d absolutely done a number on Joel and the panel, mainly because nobody realised she could sing so well. (This was definitely filmed pre brain tumour!) Star’s exuberance made more sense now.
She joined the panel (and I wonder if the vote was a fix, or the producers had contingency planned well) for the reveal…of somebody in a Joel costume. He freaked out, we saw a clue package of ‘Giant Joel’ at actual!Joel’s house. It was actual!Joel’s reaction that made all this, and seeing as the masked singer was hanging out with his wife, I don’t blame him. Giant Joel sang (and I felt like I knew the voice, though he couldn’t sing for toffee) but then marched off, and turned out to be a tease for the new series. This was next level stuff from the producers, I have to say.
Nutcracker turned out to be Holly Johnson – a professional singer. I suppose Jonathan came closest with his guess of Marc Almond. Johnson seemed a bit peeved with the whole thing (possibly because Jonathan had guessed Marc Almond) instead of having had a laugh, which I found rather amusing.
The show ended with the reveal that Maya Jama would be replacing Rita Ora on the panel and who would be guesting for the series – presumably Danny Jones will do the final.
There would be two head to heads, with the losers being unmasked immediately, and then another head to head, with the runner up and winner being unmasked in turn.
First was Christmas Cracker – cue almost too many clues in their package (if they were from a soap, it probably wasn’t’ EastEnders, given the ‘Cockney’ accent.) They had a very busy outfit, sang in tune and performed confidently. I thought they were probably older than AJ Odube (suggested by Dawn French.) There was some nonsense about extra clues coming down a chimney that looked as if they hadn’t bothered to rehearse with Joel, and the clues were mystifying in all cases.
Up against them: Star, in a brilliant costume (made up of different styles of wrapping paper) although they couldn’t move much in it. I had no clue from the clues. She turned out to be a proper singer, and had swooning polar bears backing her. The panel weren’t sure if she was American or not, or who she was.
The better singer (Star) went through, yay. Christmas Cracker was Josie Gibson, which nobody got close to guessing (I absolve myself because I barely know anything about her beyond her being the one on This Morning with a strong West country accent.)
The next head to head involved Turkey Crown, who had a basic but effective costume. The main takeaway for me from their package was that they were probably part of a celebrity family. By the time they sang, it was clear they were a woman. Not a singer, and Dawn was gone soon after the performance began: why WERE some of the carrots lying down all performance?
Nutcracker was a squirrel in a soldier suit, and the clues seemed to suggest they’d been a footballer in 96. He sounded like an older gentleman. I thought he was black and was unsure if he was a professional singer. Some of the dancers were dressed up as giant sheep with sparkly cars around their waists.
Nutcracker was saved, again, because nobody knew who he was, but he could carry a tune. (Could this voting audience stay for the series proper?) It turned out that Turkey Crown was Motsi Mabuse, and nobody had come close to guessing her. (I like to imagine that she asked Shirley if she should do it, and Shirley said she should, although it probably had more to do with agents. I also like to imagine that Anton and Craig are vainer about their singing.)
For the final head to head, Star was singing with a man in a dog costume. She sounded a bit older the second time around, but then did star jumps. She arguably didn’t reveal any new facets to her singing.
Nutcracker sang his second song better, and also had simpler staging, with the dancers as puppet soldiers. Apparently it was close, but Nutcracker won, although I thought Star had the better voice.
And then it was revealed that Star was DAVINA. She’d absolutely done a number on Joel and the panel, mainly because nobody realised she could sing so well. (This was definitely filmed pre brain tumour!) Star’s exuberance made more sense now.
She joined the panel (and I wonder if the vote was a fix, or the producers had contingency planned well) for the reveal…of somebody in a Joel costume. He freaked out, we saw a clue package of ‘Giant Joel’ at actual!Joel’s house. It was actual!Joel’s reaction that made all this, and seeing as the masked singer was hanging out with his wife, I don’t blame him. Giant Joel sang (and I felt like I knew the voice, though he couldn’t sing for toffee) but then marched off, and turned out to be a tease for the new series. This was next level stuff from the producers, I have to say.
Nutcracker turned out to be Holly Johnson – a professional singer. I suppose Jonathan came closest with his guess of Marc Almond. Johnson seemed a bit peeved with the whole thing (possibly because Jonathan had guessed Marc Almond) instead of having had a laugh, which I found rather amusing.
The show ended with the reveal that Maya Jama would be replacing Rita Ora on the panel and who would be guesting for the series – presumably Danny Jones will do the final.
