Who is Maypole on The Masked Singer season 5? Theories, clues and songs

Initially, fans thought that Rita Ora might be behind the mask as the judge was missing from panel due to work commitments during Maypole's debut performance, however, viewers thought this might be a trick used by the show. This speculation was debunked during week 3, however, when Rita returned to the panel and Maypole performed on stage.

While Davina McCall thought The Voice UK's Anne-Marie could be hiding behind the mask due to her amazing vocals, guest judge at the time, Charlie Simpson, guessed tennis ace Emma Raducanu, as Maypole said: "I know my net worth" and "I’ve skipped around the court".

Fans now think that Maypole could be a UK girl band star with many fingers pointing towards The Saturdays' Vanessa White, Cheryl Cole or Melody Thornton.

As Maypole performs for a third week, read on for everything you need to know about the character, including the latest clues, theories and guesses.

Who is Maypole on The Masked Singer UK? Clues, guesses and songs

Songs:

• Week 1: Never Gonna Not Dance Again by Pink
• Week 3: Clown by Emeli Sandé
• Week 5: Sweet Melody by Little Mix

Clues:

Here are the clues we've had so far about the identity of Maypole.

• “Keeping it secret actually hasn't been that hard for me. I've decided to just hide in plain sight!”
• They're "here to lead us on a merry dance".
• "I can stand rain and shine. You have to be resilient to survive this island."
• "This ain’t my first rodeo."
• Three flower pots labelled "Glasgow, Manchester, Shanghai".
• An envelope stamped "Return to sender".
• A Victoria sponge cake in the VT.
• They may have an American accent.
• They have "more than one ribbon to my bow".
• They describe themselves as a ‘model Maypole’.
• A doll is perched on a chair with a silver medal around their neck.
• A weather vane is shown pointing in the direction of South West.
• "Mayday, mayday. The panel's guesses have got me in a spin. Well, they are all going in one direction."
• "Finding a perfect match is easy when you're made of wood. Well, sometimes it is. Oh well. I almost chose a different field that was poles apart."
• "But this habit is hard to break. Time to go for another whirl."
• "I can stand rain and shine. You have to be resilient to survive this island."

If the character is used to hiding "in plain sight," we have a feeling that we might have met Maypole before, likely as another guest judge or even as another contestant.

It's also pretty obvious that this character has a dancing background, as one of the hints talks of how this character is set to lead us on a merry dance.

We'll keep you updated with everything you need to know about Maypole.

Guesses:

• Anne-Marie
• Emma Raducanu
• Ella Henderson
• Rita Ora
• Ashlee Simpson
• Melody Thornton
• Vanessa White

The Masked Singer season 5 theories

Is Maypole Vanessa White?

Some fans are convinced The Saturdays star Vanessa White is Maypole. Following Maypole's week 4 performance, multiple viewers took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their theories.

"Is Maypole Vanessa White from the Saturdays or am i just hearing things?" one wrote.

"Maypole is Melody Thornton or Vanessa White. #MaskedSingerUK", another said.

Is Maypole Anne-Marie?

Davina McCall thinks singer-songwriter Anne-Marie might be behind the mask due to Maypole's vocal ability and the fact that in her VT, there was a compass pointing south west.

Marie is from Tilbury in Essex, so this shapes up.

When is The Masked Singer on TV?

The Masked Singer airs on Saturdays on ITV1, ITVX and STV.

Episode 6 will air on Saturday 3rd February at an earlier time of 6:25pm due to schedule changes as a result of the Six Nations games.

It will see the seven remaining players take to the stage. At the end of the episode, one player will be unmasked as their true identity is revealed.

The Masked Singer airs on Saturdays on ITV1, ITVX and STV.

Looking for something to watch? Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.