The Masked Dancer | Interview with Davina Mccall

What can viewers expect from series two?

What I’ve realised during my Masked entertainment journey is that I like it even more when I am so desperately confused about who is hiding behind the mask. We record it beforehand, so we can’t watch what’s happening on social media and can’t get any clues.

Oti and I message all of the time; it was midnight the other night when Oti sent me random pictures of people and asked ‘same body shape as…….? I mean, we’re just literally clutching at straws, but I am having such a hoot.

I think being on the panel for The Masked Singer Live and being able to see the audience up close, I’ve realised that the audience don’t really care who is in the costume, they just love the masks, the dancing, it’s so fun. It’s the whole spectacle of it. The sets and the backing dancers’ costumes are hilarious. There aren’t many shows where the backing dancers are dressed as giant eggs. It’s quite bonkers. But then last week I was watching a performance from one of our masked celebrities that made me cry and you think, ‘This is crazy’.

Is Masked Dancer harder?

That’s the appeal of Dancer in that it is much harder. Which makes it in turn funnier. You know, it could be Mary Berry! Who knows. We’ve had some quite amazing people on this series, with the reveals making our jaws drop.

Jonathan has literally met everybody. He will see something quite quickly but he can’t get everybody on Dancer, which is really good. When he says that he thinks he’s guessed someone, do you want me to tell you? I always say, no, don’t tell me because it’s a lot more fun when you don’t know.

I like that it’s tougher. With The Masked Dancer there are some amazing costumes where you really can see the physicality of a person. I enjoy that side of it. I’ve spent several weeks trying to work out whether some of the characters are male or female.

Do you think the clues are harder this series?

I don’t think they’re any harder. I just think that Dancer by the sheer fact that it’s more difficult, but that’s what I like about it. When we’re taken down a path with the clues, that’s actually inaccurate or can be interpreted in so many different ways it’s actually really clever.

Why did you think the Masked Dancer really captured the nation?

Masked Dancer and Masked Singer are formats that everybody loves. So a three year old loves it and an eighty year old loves it. There are not many shows that everybody can hand on heart sit down in front of the television and say we all love this programme as a family. Generally speaking, if your three year old wants to watch something, you watch it and think, ‘Oh for the love of God, I’m doing this for the kids’, but The Masked Singer/Dancer series’ are good, fun family entertainment that appeals to all ages from toddlers and grandmas which is brilliant. Secondly, the world has worked in our favour. We had lockdown and television was our lifeline, so in a sense people really got used to us and we’ve embedded ourselves into the national psyche now. It’s a format that’s fun and everybody can watch. I think once again this kind of appointment to view on programme television is going to have a comeback. Just because of the sheer economy of life. You know, times are hard and this is the show you want when times are hard, it’s funny, it’s uplifting, it’s engaging and it’s exciting.

So how is it having Peter Crouch step in for Mo Gilligan this series?

Well, I mean, apart from making me the most popular person ever with all my male friends. My son was so excited. He’s given me massive kudos with all the men and female football fans in my life. So I’m really pleased about that.

How are his guesses?

It’s quite nice because he and I struggle quite a lot, but he’s actually done quite well.

And tell us about the costumes, what are they like this year? Are they even more bonkers?

I think they are really colourful, really bright, extremely clever, the way that they’ve been designed and made so that people are completely unrecognisable. You can’t tell if it’s padded in places, you can’t tell if a costume is very thick or if it’s super thin. You don’t know anything about that person’s physique, it doesn’t really give you any clues. So that’s very clever. I also think hats off to our dancers because we film The Masked Dancer in spring/summer and it’s hot and dancing makes you even hotter. The designers have to think of a million different things in order to help these people get through it. I’ve got to just also say major kudos for all the backing dancers and the choreographer because the choreography is brilliant. And the backing dancers are dressed up in the best outfits ever. It’s brilliant.

Are there any standout moments that you can tease?

Yes, there are some amazing performances and one that was so beautiful it made me cry.

Do you think that the celebrities have upped their game? Is the dancing better?

What I love about this show is that everybody gives it 100%. It’s interesting, there are no half measures. I think there is something about being behind a mask which means that a celebrity is less encumbered with self consciousness and will definitely kind of give 100% in everything that they do and we’ve seen that in every series. It can be embarrassing dancing but when you’ve got a mask on it isn’t, they just go for it. It’s brilliant.

When you leave the studio do you find yourself having a lightbulb moment with names of potential celebs popping into your head?

Yes. I mean, I definitely take clues away with me and I think who could that be? I think about it nonstop. It’s exhausting.

Latest Interviews

News Highlights