Who is The Masked Singer panellist Mo Gilligan?

The show's return will see new judge Mo Gilligan take over from Ken Jeong - who is currently in the US and unable to make it on the show due to travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus.

This will mark another major career move for the comedian who won a BAFTA award for his late-night Channel 4 show.

He will sit alongside Davina McCall, Rita Ora and Jonathan Ross, who will all be returning to their roles trying to guess which celebrity is behind the mask.

So, who is Mo? And where might you have heard his name before?

Here's everything you need to know about the new Masked Singer judge.

Who is Mo Gilligan?

Age: 32

Occupation: Comedian

Twitter: @MoTheComedian

Instagram: @mothecomedian

"Mo" - full name Mosiah Gilligan - is a British stand-up comedian. After several years of uploading his funny clips to social media, he found worldwide success in 2017 when he was spotted by Canadian rapper Drake.

He counts his influences as Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock.

In 2019, he hosted The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan on Channel 4. He currently co-hosts The Big Narstie Show on Channel 4.

Viewers might also recognise him from Channel 4's Celebrity Gogglebox, which he appeared on in June and July 2020, alongside Comedian Babatunde Aleshe.

He also took part in The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer earlier this year, and made a huge mistake when he forgot to put egg in his cake.

Most recently, he took part on the Million Pound Cube Celebrity special hosted by Phillip Schofield.

His stand-up comedy show Momentum is also available to watch on Netflix, and makes for a pretty funny watch!

What has Mo said about joining The Masked Singer UK?

During an appearance on the Jonathan Ross Show, The Masked Singer judges opened up about the “secrecy” of the ITV show ahead of the new series.

“It’s proper secret," Mo explained when describing the format of the show.

Speaking about the elaborate costumes of The Masked Singer contestants, he added: "The costumes are so, so good. There’s someone in there singing and they’re dancing. The people are changing their voice as well. Even to be part of it was a huge honour. Working with you guys. For me I was like, wow this is a big deal.”

So, how has he found joining the show?

“It was an amazing experience. Even to be asked to do it was an honour. It’s a big show. Everyone welcomed me, they all came to my door and said welcome to the show."

The Masked Singer will return to ITV on December 26th. Looking for something to watch? Find out what is on with our TV Guide.