London, UK – 14 February 2022 (immediate) – ITV has today confirmed that Scottish indie Bandicoot Scotland, part of the Argonon Group and one of the UK’s fastest growing production companies, has been recommissioned to produce two more series of the RTS and International Emmy award-winning entertainment juggernaut The Masked Singer.

After the final secured ITV’s highest overnight audience of 2022 to date, soaring to a third season high of 7.8m for a huge 45% share of total viewing - with nearly half of all younger viewers (46.6% of the available 16-34 demographic) tuning into ITV for the show - fans of TV’s greatest guessing game can look forward to two more 8 x 90’ series of surreal singing, colourful character costumes, crazily compelling clues and surprising famous faces.

The most spectacular season to date came to a climactic crescendo on Saturday night, with Aussie winner Natalie Imbruglia unmasked as Panda. As last year’s masked champion Joss Stone joined the superstar celebrity detectives Mo Gilligan, Rita Ora, Davina McCall and Jonathan Ross, Saturday night’s show saw Charlotte Church display her vast vocal range as she was finally unveiled as Mushroom and Westlife’s talented Mark Feehily revealed as Robobunny.

The final show saw three extra special guests return to The Masked Singer stage, as Nicola Roberts (Queen Bee), Jason Manford (Hedgehog) and Aston Merrygold (Robin) performed dazzling duets with the finalists.

Host Joel Dommett presided over an eclectic mix of celebrity singers unmasked during the eight-part series, including Heather Small, Michael Owen, Jaime Winstone, Will Young, Michelle Williams, Gloria Hunniford, Pat Cash and Tom Chaplin, with global superstar Joan Collins making a special guest appearance as a fifth panellist in the semi-final.

Bandicoot MD Derek McLean and Creative Director Daniel Nettleton said: “The third series of The Masked Singer has underscored its’ unique position in British television as an unrivalled Saturday night powerhouse and the UK’s biggest entertainment show. The phenomenal audience reaction is evidenced by the vast viewing figures, fantastic fan engagement and unparalleled levels of social media sleuthing. We’re delighted that ITV has shown its long-term commitment to the show and with two new series of musical mayhem in the pipeline, we are already plotting the next spectacularly surreal season.”

Katie Rawcliffe, ITV Head of Entertainment Commissioning said: “The Masked Singer has once again established itself as unmissable event television, keeping the nation guessing throughout its glorious eight week run. We’re already counting down to see who’s hiding behind those infamous masks in 2023 and look forward to welcoming the series back to ITV and ITV Hub next year.”

The series is produced by Bandicoot Scotland, part of Argonon. The series is executive produced by Derek McLean, Daniel Nettleton and Claire Horton. It was commissioned for ITV by Head of Entertainment Commissioning Katie Rawcliffe and Commissioning Editor Joe Mace.

The Masked Dancer, also produced by Bandicoot, returns for a second series on ITV and ITV Hub in 2022.