Top News

The man behind the Masked Singer costumes has shared how they need to be adapted so that the stars can still breathe. This year's series of the ITV show has seen characters such as Moth, Can of Worms, Conkers, Toastie, Sloth, Red Panda, Arctic Fox, Monkey Business, Gargoyle, Yak, Disc Jockey, and Teabag take to the stage.

They all wear huge masks to hide their true identities, as host Joel Dommett teases clues to the judging panel and fans at home, who have to guess who is underneath. Plunge Creations' creative director, Tim Simpson, works on the beautiful costumes. When asked how the concealed stars don't overheat in the intricate costumes, Tim exclusively told Express.co.uk: "Well, they sort of almost do overheat. The costumes are hot, and they're cumbersome. They do get quite hot quite quickly, especially when you're dancing, singing, and performing. They can sometimes feel like they are running out of air.

"So we try and put as much air ventilation into the costumes as we possibly can without making holes in them that are big enough for viewers to see through."

He continued: "Often, the ears of a costume might have holes in, or there might be a big ventilation hole up through the top of the head. We have to make it so that they can breathe in there, but they are really hot.

"Some of the performers do get really boiling and the moment that their song is over, you'll get members of the team running over to them with electric fans to blow air into the costumes to cool them down."

Speaking about how they come up with the designs, Tim shared: "We have got into the habit of making the masks really huge because it looks funnier on telly if Joel is standing next to an absolutely massive dog or something.

"But it can also look slightly terrifying, and we are not allowed to scare the kids! So they have to have smiley faces. But the whole show is bananas.

"I think the performers really enjoy it because they get to perform in a way that they never have before. But sometimes it's quite a challenge for some of the less fit and healthy performers. But it is really good fun for everyone."