The Masked Dancer judges reveal what’s different to The Masked Singer

Like TMS, contestants will try to keep their identity a secret as they impress The Masked Dancer judges, including Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan, Oti Mabuse, and Jonathan Ross, but there are a few differences to the original series.

Speaking at a panel discussion ahead of the launch, the show's host Joel Dommett says the new show takes the format to the "next level."

"It's a perfect accompaniment to The Masked Singer. It just kind of takes the format to the next level," he says. "It's so silly, it's so fun, it's bizarre on an absolute other level. Almost The Masked Singer has a small grip in reality because you can hear their voices. So there's like a foundation of reality to it, whereas this is just mad. It's like, 'Guess, who I am!" while they're jumping around!"

On the original series, we're used to receiving some clues (and a few red herrings) for each contestant. Viewers will also receive some tips along the way this time round, including a major Masked Dancer clue where we'll hear the contestants’ undisguised voices.

However, there will be way more hints on the new series.

"The clues are prolific," says Ross. "There's more clues, but in some ways they're harder because I think there's more clues to throw us off. A couple of times, we've all been close to people, but not quite close enough and our guesses made sense, but then when you see who it is, it makes more sense. Hopefully it makes it more fun to play along at home. I think families will fall out over this series!"

Gilligan adds, "With the singing version, I knew I could sit there and listen to a tone, but with this, there are clues everywhere. There's clues on the stage, in the songs, what they say, the song titles, and then you've got the clue packages."

Over the past two series of The Masked Singer, contestants have complained about the difficulty of moving around in their large costumes. This is something that should hopefully be reduced on the dancing series, where the costumes aren't quite so cumbersome.

"The costumes are amazing but they are slightly different to The Masked Singer because they have to be able to achieve some kind of physicality. They need to be able to move basically," McCall explains.

Speaking of one this year's contestants, she continues: "We have a carwash. They're called Carwash and you'd think that would be the hardest costume to achieve any kind of performance with, like 'How would you express yourself?' When Carwash walked out, I thought they were going to be pants because they put them in a carwash costume - oh no! Amazing."

And it sounds like the flexible costumes has helped with the guessing, as Ross adds, "I think we get more of an idea of who they are because we see their body. The character comes through more in the dancing. I think in The Masked Singer they're focusing on trying to sing well and especially in those big masks, that takes a lot of work. But here you get the feeling. We're all saying, 'This is a funny person. This is someone who likes being the centre of attention.' So I think we're all picking up more vibes and clues from the stage presence."

The Masked Dancer begins on Saturday 29th May at 7pm on ITV and ITV Hub. For something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Entertainment hub.