THE Masked Singer has been commissioned for another TWO series – and a surprise new spin off programme.

TV presenter Joel Dommett is set to take to TV screens once again to front the sixth series of the hit ITV competition.

3

Advertisement

3

A host of secret star names are set to take to the stage once again in the ultimate primetime guessing game.

The popular singing programme, which sees celebrities hidden under elaborate character masks, has also secured a seventh season.

On top of this, it will also be getting a new spin off series called The After Mask, hosted by Kiss radio star Harriet Rose.

It will feature interactions with the celebrity panel, host Joel, and unmasking interviews with contestants.

Rose will also provide extra gossip from behind-the-scenes, including insights into the show’s production.

The show will be available across on-demand, social, and digital channels including ITVX and YouTube.

A host of secret star names are set to take to the stage once again in the ultimate primetime guessing game.

Recording for the series of The Masked Singer kicked off on September 24 at Bovingdon Airfield in Hertfordshire, the same location as Dancing On Ice.

The likes of Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan and Jonathan Ross will return.

Filming for the show will take place across eight dates after the commercial broadcaster confirmed there will be another Christmas special.

Four celebrities will once again battle it out in front of the star-studded panel for the holiday crown.

Last year saw McFly singer and guitarist Danny Jones storm to victory as the Piranha.

He beat out the likes of Alex Brooker and noughties star Lemar after Davina McCall correctly guessed the identity of the star name.

This comes after The Sun revealed that there will be a huge change to the panel for the upcoming series.

Last year saw the likes of Nicole Scherzinger, Olly Murs and Jennifer Saunders fill in for Rita Ora on the show as she had other filming commitments in the US.

Rita has been a judge on the celebrity competition programme since its inception in 2020.

Instead, Love Island host Maya Jama is poised to join the panel after Rita Ora quit the show after five series due to a mystery film project.

A TV insider said: “This is a huge deal for Maya, who’s now one of telly’s fastest- rising stars. It puts her in front of a huge Saturday night audience every week on a show watched by everyone from kids to pensioners.

“Up to now she’s had a following which is very young due to Love Island, but signing for The Masked Singer would take her career into a whole new league.”

Rita previously appeared on the panel of The Masked Singer US when she filled in for Nicole Scherzinger.

The former X Factor judge was in the London production of musical Sunset Boulevard.

3

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Comedian David Baddiel has called out the “fake outrage” over Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as the new England manager.

The German coach was officially named as the new Three Lions boss on Wednesday (16 October), replacing Gareth Southgate, who resigned after failing to win last summer’s European Championship in Germany.

Tuchel, who managed Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021, is the third foreign manager to take charge of England, following in the footsteps of Fabio Capello and Sven-Goran Eriksson, who died earlier this year after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

The 51-year-old will not start in the job until 2025 but the news has already ignited a debate about another foreign coach managing England, especially due to the nation’s longstanding football rivalry with Germany.

Baddiel, who famously sang “Three Lions”, has called out some of the fury surrounding Tuchel’s arrival after appearing to be trolled due to his Jewish faith.

The 60-year-old said: “Re: Thomas Tuchel and some people’s fake outrage. My mother was born in Nazi Germany and had to flee for her life – I’m OK with it. So f*** off.”

Baddiel also highlighted one user who asked if international managers should coach the nations that they are from. In response, he said: “Were people saying all this during Sven and Capello? Or is just something about a German that brings it out? In which case I refer you back to my original tweet.”

In response to the Tuchel news, former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville said: “I do think we are damaging ourselves by accepting that Thomas Tuchel is better than any of the other English coaches. With the English coaches that have managed in the upper echelons of the league with Eddie Howe at Newcastle and Graham Potter, I do think there are outstanding coaches that could have been appointed that were English.”

“I’d have given the job to Lee Carsley,” the former England stirker Gary Lineker told The Rest is Football podcast. “I have seen enough to suggest to me the players really trust him.”

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Advertisement

Try for free

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

“And he is imaginative enough to produce something that is a joy to watch, is entertaining and front-footed football. I’d have gone for Lee Carsley (but) it is not my job to pick people like that.

“‘I really liked him. But I could tell he knew he was not getting the job. I suspect between his first camp and sometime before the Greece game [he knew].

“I would have [appointed him] because I would have looked at the recent history of international football, the two winners of the last two international tournaments [Spain’s Luis de la Fuente and Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni] had no real experience of coaching outside the national set-up.”

MARRIED At First Sight viewers were left cringing as Emma and Caspar took their romance to the next level.

The posh country boy upset his bride from the get go, when he revealed on their honeymoon he wasn’t attracted to curvy women.

3

Advertisement

3

3

But the couple decided to give things another go on the retreat after Emma said she’ll let her guard down and be more vulnerable.

Following a boys and girls catch-up, Caspar and Emma reunited in the evening to discuss the day’s drama.

Emma was left feeling in a romantic mood and told her partner: “We’ve relaxed, we’ve had a couple of drinks, the mood lighting is here, I feel it’s a bit more romantic.”

“I’ve softened up to you Caspar, I’m ready…I’m yours,” she said with her arms wide open.

“Speaking to the camera later, Emma said: “As Richelle said, just go in for it.

Back on the sofa, Emma paid him a series of compliments and said: “Caspar, I think you look really good tonight.

“I think you look really handsome tonight,” which left Caspar in hysterics as he replied: “I’m wearing a jumper and jeans.”

She then bravely asked: “What about a snog?”

Caspar replied: “I’ll lean in a little bit and we can go from there.”

After initially hesitating, Caspar affectionately reached out to hold her hand.

Sharing a relationship update with camera, Caspar said: “I didn’t think Emma was the person for me.

“However, now there is a chance and there is something there.

“There is a snog on the cards, I think it could happen.”

But some fans were left experiencing second hand embarrassment for the pair.

One wrote: “Emma flirting with Caspar is the funniest thing I’ve seen this year.”

A second posted: “I feel like one of the supporting cast in the Little Mermaid the way I’m watching Emma and Caspar like KISS THE GIRL.”

A third commented: “Make it stop, this has to be the most awkward scene ever.”

It comes after Caspar and Emma reached boiling point when he stormed out of the last dinner party.

“I struggle to relate to you as a person,” he told Emma.

He then added that he felt like she didn’t show enough vulnerability, explaining: “Around your sister, there was more fragility there.”

“I cried at the f***ing sight of them,” Emma responded, before adding: “I wouldn’t say that that is me.”

Caspar was then seen rubbing his head in his hands, exasperated.

“Emma hasn’t taken on board any changes that she has to make about herself,” he rants in his interview with producers. “I’m running out of energy for it.”

Caspar was then seen storming off from the table and slamming the door.

“I need to see some sort of sign that she might change,” he fumed as he ran for the exit.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

A Black crew member has reportedly quit Mrs Brown’s Boys after the lead actor on the BBC sitcom made a racist joke during the filming of this year’s Christmas specials.

Earlier this week it was reported that work on the episodes were “halted” after Brendan O’Carroll made a “clumsy” joke where a “racial term was implied” during rehearsals. The term has not been disclosed.

The 69-year-old Irish writer and actor told PA: “At a read-through of the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, in the character of Agnes, where a racial term was implied.

“It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.”

A BBC source has since said to The Mirror: “How is it that they [the junior member of staff] are no longer on the show but Brendan is? The whole thing is messed-up.”

The source added: “The BBC takes the matter extremely seriously and Brendan also takes the matter extremely seriously. Brendan is under no illusion about this. We have made it clear what the consequences of any future issues would be.”

The BBC investigated the incident and halted rehearsals, which have since resumed at the corporation’s Pacific Quay studios in Glasgow. It is understood that the specials are still scheduled to air on BBC One this festive season in their usual Christmas Day and New Year’s Day slots.

On the matter, the performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity has said in a statement: “No working person should be subjected to racism when doing their job. Employers must realise the obligations they have and create safe, anti-racist workplaces.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “While we don’t comment on individuals, the BBC is against all forms of racism, and we have robust processes in place should issues ever arise.”

It comes after the iconic newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald condemned the incident. The 85-year-old told the Daily Mail: “I find it in every way crude and offensive and insulting. It couldn’t have been said without a desire to hurt and insult really. It’s not even funny.”

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Advertisement

Try for free

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

When asked what action the BBC should take, McDonald said: “I would probably have very harsh words with the person who said that. And said the society and the community in which we live regards that sort of stuff as unnecessarily crude and offensive.”

Mrs Brown’s Boys has been a controversial presence on TV Christmas schedules for many years, and typically provokes strong reaction from viewers and critics.

The Independent’s Nick Hilton gave the previous New Year’s Day special a zero-star review, writing: “Observing that it’s unfunny is like observing that the sea is wet.”

The show is still popular, with more than four million tuning in last Christmas, but there have still been calls to reassess the programming in recent years, since critics say it is outdated, nauseating and unfunny.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Fox News host Bret Baier has been criticised for his attempts to talk over Kamala Harris during his interview with the presidential candidate on the conservative network.

The interview, which lasted 27 minutes, included several heated exchanges between the Democratic nominee and Baier, who has worked for Fox since 1998.

The pair frequently talked over each other, and Harris was much more animated than in other recent appearances as part of her media blitz.

Harris and Baier kicked off the conversation with a feisty exchange over immigration. The vice president then wrapped with a demand for Baier to focus the interview on a “full assessment of the facts.”

It was Harris’s first appearance on Fox and many have hit out at Baier for his treatment of the vice president during the interview, while complimenting Harris for how she handled the situation.

Community and Inside Out 2 actor Yvette Nicole Brown took to X/Twitter to ask Baier: “Would you have interrupted any other @VP of our country they way you rudely interrupted and tried to talk over @KamalaHarris? Asking for every woman in America.”

The American businessman and TV personality, Mark Cuban was full of praise for Harris and her performance. The 66-year-old wrote: “The beautiful thing about the @BretBaier interview is that @KamalaHarris understood and responded to each question. She used examples of policies. She gave real world context. When Brett went hard after her. She didn’t call him names. She didn’t quit the interview. She didn’t make things up. She never once complained the questions were tough. She never played the victim card. She didn’t lose her temper. She didn’t take the bait to diminish or talk down to Trump supporters. She stood up to him with force and never backed down.“

The author of If God is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk, John Pavlovitz added: “Bret Baier tries to talk over Kamala Harris in hopes of pivoting again and again so she isn’t able to state her position. She cuts through his bulls***. She is the leader we all deserve.”

open image in gallery

Baier had earlier hit back at accusations from Trump supporters that the interview with Harris would be edited to make her seem more favourable.

The Fox News host took to X/Twitter on Monday night and Tuesday morning to assure people the interview, while pre-taped, would be aired as-live with minimal interruptions and no questions would be given to Harris ahead of time.“No one has the questions. Except me,” he told an X user. When another person assumed Baier would “pass [Harris] the questions” Baier rejected the claim.

NICOLA King is set to make a chilling discovery about her nephew-in-law Tom King after seeing the way he interacts with her stepson Carl Holliday. 

Emmerdale villain Tom (James Chase) has been hiding his abusive ways and manipulation of his estranged wife Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) from the King family – but is the truth finally about to come out?

4

Advertisement

4

4

In scenes airing next week, Nicola (Nicola Wheeler) will pick up on some tension between Carl (Charlie Joyce) and Tom. 

Spoilers for Thursday’s episode (October 24) confirm that Nicola will become unsettled when she observes how Carl seems to be afraid of Tom, sensing something isn’t right.

But will this actually lead to the truth coming out?

As Emmerdale viewers know, Carl is terrified of Tom after he witnessed him smashing up his iPad and then bribed him not to tell anyone about it. 

After being arrested for attacking Tom with an axe in self defence, Belle realised she needed to find evidence of his ongoing abuse. 

Realising that there would likely be proof on the iPad, Belle tried to get her hands on it, but Tom got there first and stopped the police from finding it. 

Tom found it in the hands of his young cousin Carl and took it back before smashing it to pieces to hide incriminating evidence about himself from Belle and the police. 

But unbeknownst to Tom, Carl saw the whole thing and was left terrified. 

When Tom noticed Carl was acting weird in the latest episode and believed he’d scared him after having a go at him recently.

Carl admitted this was the case, but didn’t reveal that he saw him break the iPad. 

Later, Tom returned from the shops with a gift for his cousin in the form of a remote controlled toy car. Carl was amazed, but Tom had one condition before handing over the toy.

He asked Carl to promise that the issues with the iPad were over, making him repeat the words: “iPad? What iPad?”

Carl did what he was told and agreed to stay quiet, meaning the only witness to the smashing up of the iPad and where it could be now is not going to spill the beans… for now.

But if Nicola asks Carl about her suspicions, will he tell her the truth about what happened, or will he continue to protect Tom with his silence?

4

Advertisement