The Masked Singer season 3 release date: When is the ITV show back?

The ITV show quickly became a Saturday night staple for many throughout lockdown, with the public taking to Twitter each weekend to share their guesses, theories and additional clues as to which celebrities were behind the masks.

If you're now immediately wondering when Joel Dommett and the show's panel of celebrity guessers will be back on our screens, here's everything we know so far about The Masked Singer season three.

The Masked Singer season 3 release date

While ITV has not officially announced that The Masked Singer is returning for a third series, executive producers Dan Nettleton and Derek McLean have hinted that there's another season in the works.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, the pair said that they're planning some "very crazy, high concept ideas" for the next series.

"We have got so many ideas!" Nettleton said. "We do not intend for this to be the same every year, and partly because the beauty of the format you can do bonkers things.

"In a traditional kind of talent show, there are limits to where you can take the show, but with a show that relies on Badgers singing against Sausages and Blob there really isn't a limit."

If a third series of The Masked Singer is on its way, then we're most likely to see it in December 2021/January 2022 judging by the previous two series, which debuted in January and December respectively.

The Masked Singer season 3 judges

If The Masked Singer is to return for a third series, you can expect to see the existing judges back on the panel – Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, Rita Ora and Mo Gilligan.

Ross told The Mirror: "We're doing a third series. And I'm doing the third series. And I shouldn't speak about who the other judges are but you're not going to be surprised," he told .

"I'm looking forward to doing it because it's a fun way to spend the evening. On The Masked Singer, I'm as much a viewer as a participant, for part of the evening."

It's unknown whether series one judge Ken Jeong, who was unable to film season two due to COVID-related travel restrictions, will return to the panel for the next series. Series two was filmed in September 2020, so if series three were to be filmed in September 2021, it will depend on the state of the pandemic in both the UK and US at that time.

The Masked Singer season 3 contestants

While we won't know which celebs sign up for The Masked Singer's third series until they're unveiled on stage during their elimination, we can get an idea of the types of famous faces we could see on the show from previous contestants.

In series one, the line-up featured a mix of singers, actors, athletes and even politicians – from Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts, Katherine Jenkins, CeeLo Green, former Secretary of State Alan Johnson and comic Jason Manford.

While throughout series two, we've seen the likes of Spice Girls star Mel B, Love Actually's Martine McCutcheon, A-ha's Morten Harket, comedian Lenny Henry and presenter Sue Perkins take part on the show – so it's hard to predict who we'll be seeing in the next series. What we do know is that they'll all be in some fabulously colourful costumes, which we can't wait to see.

For something else to watch, check out our TV Guide.