ITV to air US Masked Singer

ITV will air the US version of \'The Masked Singer\' over the summer to fill gaps in its schedule.

A number of ITV programme have been put on hold due to the Covid-19 lockdown so bosses at the station have decided to show the latest series of the US version this summer, in a bid to placate viewers.

An insider told The Sun newspaper\'s Bizarre TV column: "Huge shows on ITV have been pulled or put on ice because of the pandemic so bosses are having a nightmare trying to work out how to fill them.

"\'The Masked Singer\' was a ratings hit for them here so they\'ve decided to air the American version every weekend over the summer.

"To them it was an obvious choice because it was so popular and the formula is identical.

"Obviously some of the stars might not be recognisable to them but it\'s still a great show."

Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg and Robin Thicke make up the judging panel on the US show and previous contestants have included Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Donny Osmond, Jesse McCartney and Gladys Knight.

The show is hosted by Nick Cannon.

Meanwhile, Davina McCall recently revealed \'The Masked Singer\' is due to film in October.

The 52-year-old show judge - who is joined on the UK panel by Jonathan Ross, Rita Ora and Ken Jeong - admitted filming for the celebrity singing competition has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, but bosses are hopeful the programme will still air early next year.

She said: "We were booked to film this September but I think that\'s been pushed back to October now. It will probably come out around the beginning of next year."

However, it is uncertain if the show will feature a studio audience, as it is not yet known when social distancing rules will be lifted.

She said: "It\'ll be interesting to see if they allow us to have a studio audience. We\'ll have to wait and see."