The Masked Singer leaves viewers aghast as Red Panda’s identity is revealed

The Masked Singer leaves viewers aghast as Red Panda’s identity is revealed Emily Bashforth Published January 31, 2026 8:25pm Updated January 31, 2026 8:51pm Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook Comment now Comments Red Panda is out of The Masked Singer! (Picture: ITV)

As The Masked Singer UK 2026 heats up, with the semi-final next week, another celebrity has been revealed in an electrifying elimination.

Tonight, Can of Worms, Toastie, Conkers, Moth, Red Panda, and Sloth all performed for panellists Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, Maya Jama, and Mo Gilligan.

But sadly for Red Panda, despite all their attempts to conceal their identity with cryptic clues and remain in the competition by delivering entertaining performances, the game is up.

And upon the character’s elimination, viewers were stunned to find beloved comedian Harry Hill beneath the mask.

Previous guesses from the panel included Tom Fletcher of McFly, Professor Brian Cox, comedian Alan Carr, and podcaster Chris Ramsey, with Mo particularly frustrated after guessing Harry was Kingfisher for the whole of the 2025 series.

‘I’d like to apologise to Alan Carr,’ Harry joked after his unmasking, having imitated the Chatty Man’s distinctive voice to throw everyone off the scent.

It was only Harry Hill! (Picture: ITV) The TV Burp icon has long been a name thrown out on the show – so he finally did it (Picture: ITV) The panel failed to identify him, the Alan Carr-esque voice throwing them off completely (Picture: ITV)

Clues in Red Panda’s VTs involved a makeup artist dancing in rave gear, which pointed towards Harry’s past TV show Harry Hill’s Clubnite, while the can of ‘XL tomato soup’ was a nod to the cover of his DVD Harry Hill’s Cream of TV Burp.

Among the more bizarre hints was a line about ‘following your nose’, which was in reference to Harry being able to play the nose flute.

And, in typical Masked Singer fashion, the clues really were everwhere – even on his costume. Red Panda’s attire featured a clapperboard, which was pointing towards The Harry Hill Movie.

Reacting to the 61-year-old You’ve Been Framed host’s reveal, viewers took to X in shock.

‘Harry Hill!! as if!! Every year i have guessed him and the only year I don’t he is on!’, wrote @mrsdazo.

@atvfriend added that they were ‘convinced’ Red Panda was Celebrity Traitors winner Alan, thanks to the impression, while @DizzyEllena1 said Harry was ‘amazing’ on the show.

Red Panda’s first performance was never shown on TV (Picture: ITV)

‘I am loving this resurgence of Harry Hill into public life’, wrote @Tales_TimeLord, while a string of others demanded that TV Burp be revived.

Speaking in a post-unmasking Q&A, the TV Burp legend acknowledged how ‘pretty much every year’, his name pops up in connection with the programme, as he’ll receive text messages asking if he is behind certain characters – so, he finally decided to give it a go for real.

‘It’s tempting sometimes to take yourself a bit too seriously,’ he said of taking part. ‘I think previously, when the idea had come up, I thought, “Oh no.” But actually, it’s really good fun.’

Asked how he kept his Masked Singer stint a secret, he explained: ‘I would have told them [his children], but my wife said no, don’t tell them. And she’s a brilliant liar. Quite a worryingly good liar.

‘I came back from filming one day, and one of them was at home. She said, “Where’s Dad been?”, and my wife said, “He’s been doing a pilot with Alan Carr.”

‘It’s always Alan Carr. I’m sorry to keep mentioning him.’

https://www.instagram.com/p/DUMDwK2jFlB/

Red Panda had quite a turbulent start to this series, as Harry’s first performance was not aired out of concerns it would be viewed as insensitive.

He initially sang The Trammp’s 1976 hit Disco Inferno, which was scrapped from the launch episode at the last minute due to its lyrics and the fiery imagery. Just days earlier, 40 people were killed, and over 100 were seriously injured in a bar fire in Switzerland.

Red Panda subsequently remained absent from the edit for a few weeks before making a comeback.

Elsewhere in tonight’s episode, the elusive Mole Dommett was also unmasked, having debuted on the scene a couple of weeks ago to help the panel with their guessing.

But after directing them to various clues and assisting with their detective work, the furry creature – whose name is, of course, a play on that of host Joel Dommett – turned out to be Olly Murs all along!

It’s certainly been an eventful seventh series of The Masked Singer thus far, as we kicked off with the arrival of two house bands, fronted by Goldfish and Emperor Penguin.

Mole Dommett’s identity was also revealed… as Olly Murs! (Picture: ITV) He had been helping the panel with their guessing (Picture: ITV)

The pair were soon unmasked as pop star Anne-Marie and Little Britain comedian Matt Lucas, who both joined the panel as guest stars when the contest got fully underway.

In our first official elimination of the series, The One Show host Alex Jones left everyone aghast by revealing that she was Disc Jockey, as not a single person predicted she would be.

And the surprises just kept coming, with the next week seeing rapper Professor Green lift off Teabag’s costume, despite the panel guessing it could’ve been Richard Osman or Judge Rinder.

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In the third week, we had Yak’s unmasking, with Sex Pistols icon John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, underneath, before another music legend, American singer-songwriter Marcella Detroit, was unveiled as Gargoyle.

Then, most recently, ITV treated us to a double whammy, unmasking both Monkey Business and Arctic Fox last weekend.

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Musician Kate Nash was the one underneath Monkey Business’s incredible costume, again, with no one expecting the Foundations hitmaker to be uncovered as the voice they’d been listening to.

As for Arctic Fox, the glamorous character transpired to be none other than Anton Du Beke, who put all his Strictly Come Dancing performing experience into practice to go undetected week after week.

Now, just five contestants remain in the show, all of whom are hoping to take the torch from last series’ winner Samantha Barks and be crowned champion in the final.

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The Masked Singer continues next weekend on ITV1 and ITVX.

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