Who is The Masked Singer panellist Jonathan Ross?
The chat show host swaps interviewing celebrities for good old-fashioned detective work…
After its successful UK debut, The Masked Singer is back for series two, and taking his place on the panel as judge/detective is chat show host Jonathan Ross.
The 60-year-old will join Rita Ora, Davina McCall, and new judge Mo Gilligan, as they try to guess who is behind the masks.
Based on the Korean show, King of Masked Singer, the show sees 12 celebrities in disguise and singing before the panel of judges, who will have to work out their identity.
The Masked Singer judges recently opened up about the secrecy around the show, with Mo describing it as "proper secret".
So, does Mr. Ross have what it takes to correctly unmask this year's The Masked Singer contestants? Or will the likes of Alien, Sausage and Grandfather Clock be able to pull the wool over his eyes?
Here's everything you need to know about the panellist as he returns for another year.
Who is Jonathan Ross?
Age: 60
Twitter: @wossy
Instagram: @mewossy
A regular face on our TV screens, Ross first broke into the industry in the late 80s with his show The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross, which aired on Channel 4.
Other high-profile appearances included being a regular panellist on irreverent sports quiz They Think It’s All Over and being the regular host of the British Comedy Awards.
His first radio work was on BBC Radio 1 in the late 80s, covering for Janice Long, before landing his own Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2 in 1999.
Ross landed his hugely popular BBC One chat show in 2002, titled Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.
He left the BBC in 2010 after a final Friday Night chat show episode in July that year. Ross interviewed a stellar line-up of David Beckham, Jackie Chan, Mickey Rourke and Roxy Music before offering an emotional tribute to the audience. He finished on the radio the following day.
In 2011, Ross started his still-running The Jonathan Ross Show, which had a similar format to Friday Night. He's interviewed many big names who often join him when they're on the press circuit.
When did Jonathan Ross leave the BBC?
In 2010, Ross decided to leave all his regular slots at the BBC, hosting a number of shows for Channel 4 and ITV.
In 2011, Ross launched his new chat show, The Jonathan Ross Show over on ITV.
What has Jonathan Ross said about The Masked Singer UK?
According to Ross, series two is looking like it's going to be even more complicated than the first one. During a recent episode of his chat show, host Joel Dommett admitted he didn’t know who Alan Johnson was when he removed his mask on series one.
But it sounds like there's no chance of that happening this year with Davina saying: “Not at all.”
Jonathan then added: “We know who it is, I don’t think it’ll be the case. There’s some real surprises in there.”
Speaking of the zany music show, Ross previously said: “I think what makes it different is that it isn’t exactly a talent show and it isn’t exactly a reality show and it isn’t exactly a celebrity challenge show."
He continued: “It’s a mixture of all those things with an element of comedy panel show thrown in as well. There’s a real surprise and a real guessing game in who the celebrities are, fun in watching us struggle to work out who they are, and the fun of great performances but with the additional joy of seeing them in these amazing costumes.
“It will genuinely be a really lovely family show.”
The Masked Singer returns to ITV on Boxing Day at 7pm. Looking for something to watch? Find out what is on with our TV Guide.
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