Exclusive – The Masked Singer producers say this year's A-list line-up "would never agree" to sing together without their masks on

In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, executive producers Dan Nettleton and Derek McLean revealed why it's so important that The Masked Singer contestants don't find out who they're performing against.

"I think the thing people maybe don't realise is that all the performers have no idea who they're performing against," McLean said.

"They genuinely don't know who the other contestants are, and it's so important that we never reveal to even the stars in the show who they might be up against, so they don't know whether they're singing against a Grammy Award winner, or whether they're singing against–"

"Dean Gaffney!" Nettleton chipped in.

"Or Dean Gaffney from EastEnders," McLean said. "Hashtag that’s not a spoiler alert. They don’t know and I think it's so important for the performers that they don't know, that they have the adrenaline, and they’ve got to think they're up against a Grammy Award winner every time."

Nettleton added that keeping the celebrities' identities a secret is even more important when it comes to the show's group numbers.

"This reaches a sort of fever pitch when we do the group performances – where we have all 12 of them.

"Some of the most famous people with the most talented musical people in the world, standing two metres apart obviously but having no idea [about] the amount of talent they have around them. They want to know as much as the viewers want to know."

McLean added: "If they didn't have their masks on, it would be described as the best supergroup ever put together in history – that’s what we say about the group performance because you would never get that number of stars together on a stage singing one song in any other moment of life.

"It's amazing and they're doing it and they have no idea. We just think, if they knew who they were standing next to, it's like the best supergroup," he said.

"They would never agree to do it with their masks off in a million years," Nettleton added, before McLean said, "But when you've got a mask on, you'll do anything!"

Martine McCutcheon became the latest of The Masked Singer contestants to leave the competition last weekend when she was unveiled to be Swan.

The Masked Singer UK is on Saturdays on ITV at 7pm. Looking for something to watch? Find out what is on with our TV Guide.