The Masked Singer UK’s sixth series has been captivating audiences on ITV, with fans eagerly trying to deduce which celebrities are behind the costumes.
So far, four celebrities have been unveiled. Good Morning Britain’s Kate Garraway and Bake Off’s Prue Leith were the first to be revealed as Spag Bol and Pegasus, respectively.
They were followed by 90s hitmaker Macy Gray and T’Pau vocalist Carol Decker, who were discovered to be Toad in the Hole and Tattoo.
Eight masked contenders remain in the competition: Bear, Bush, Dressed Crab, Kingfisher, Pufferfish, Snail, Teeth, and Wolf, with one character, in particular, sparking intense speculation online.
An eager fan took to Reddit last week claiming they had deciphered the identity of Pufferfish, asserting it must be West End star Samantha Barks. “Pufferfish is Samantha Barks,” they insisted, citing similarities in the voice and physical features.
“Let me explain why. Firstly, the voice is very similar. Watch her BGT performance of ‘Let It Go’ and you’ll see what I mean – she even got on her knees before whilst performing, which we saw in ‘Good Luck, Babe’ last week.”
The viewer also observed, from having seen Pufferfish perform live, the figure’s notably small stomach despite wearing a corset – a trait they believe matches that of Samantha Barks, reports the Mirror.
“Next, it has to be said from someone who (I can finally say) has seen Pufferfish live in studio, that she has an incredibly tiny stomach despite wearing a corset. From what I’ve seen, Samantha has the same physique. I’ve also seen pictures of her wearing corsets and everything seems to be near enough an exact match!”
The fan further pointed out that Samantha has previously worked with Anita Dobson in a film, which could explain the Angie Watts clue. Additionally, her boots match the colour of her dress from I’d Do Anything – the competition show where she first made her mark.
Pufferfish’s recent references to Italy might also be linked to Samantha’s wedding in Tuscany in 2022.
Pufferfish made their debut on The Masked Singer stage on January 5, delivering a beautiful performance of Chappell Roan’s 2024 summer hit ‘Good Luck, Babe’. The following week, the character sang Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’.
The judges have speculated various US stars including Hayden Panettiere, Gwen Stefani, Nicole Richie and Lea Michele, but the American accent could be a clever deception.
Judging by their voice, it might take some time before we discover who is actually behind the mask.
The Masked Singer UK is available to watch on ITVX