Masked Singer Host Joel Dommett Lifts Lid on Filming Secrets
ITV's popular entertainment show The Masked Singer has captivated audiences with its elaborate costumes and celebrity reveals, but host Joel Dommett has now shared some intriguing behind-the-scenes details that fans rarely get to see. During a recent podcast appearance, the 40-year-old presenter disclosed that producers deliberately halt filming just before the crucial unmasking moments.
The Pause Before the Reveal
Dommett explained the precise timing of these production pauses during his conversation on the Please Keep Me Anonymous podcast with Chris and Rosie Ramsey. "We actually have a stop of the record," Dommett revealed. "So they go 'take it off, take it off, take it off', and then we stop the record just before they're about to take it off and they get their make-up done and things like that."
The host described how the filming then resumes for the dramatic reveal moment: "And then we go back and then we go 'take it off, take it off', and I go 'Oh my god it's this person!'" This production technique ensures that celebrities look their best when their identities are finally unveiled to the audience.
When Recognition Fails
In a candid admission, Dommett confessed that there have been "100%" occasions when he hasn't recognised the celebrity emerging from beneath the costume. When this happens, production crew members quietly whisper the famous person's name into his ear to prevent any awkward on-air moments.
He recalled a particularly memorable instance from the show's first series: "There was guy who was a politician and everyone was like 'take it off, take it off, take it off', and the producer says in my ear 'It's Alan Johnson.' And I go 'Oh my god it's Alan Johnson', and in my head I'm like 'Who th f*** is this?'" Former UK Home Secretary Alan Johnson was indeed unmasked as the Pharaoh during that debut series in January 2020.
Family Connections and Fan Theories
Dommett, who is happily married to model Hannah and father to two-year-old son Wilde with another child on the way, shared an amusing family anecdote. His toddler has become "obsessed" with the show, leading to an embarrassing incident during a shopping centre visit when Wilde began loudly chanting the show's signature "take it off" phrase in public.
The current seventh series of The Masked Singer UK, which began airing on ITV and ITVX in early January 2026, has already seen several celebrity reveals including The One Show host Alex Jones and rapper Professor Green. Meanwhile, fans continue to speculate about remaining contestants, with many convinced that Coronation Street actor Sam Aston, who has played Chesney Brown since 2003, is behind the Conkers character who wears knight attire.
Social media has been buzzing with theories, with one fan writing: "I think Conkers is Sam Aston, who plays Chesney Winter-Brown in #Corrie," while others have suggested former Corrie actor Richard Fleeshman or Lee Dennis might be the person behind the mask. These ongoing fan discussions demonstrate the show's continued ability to engage and entertain its audience between episodes.
