Television viewers will have a raft of new and returning entertainment programmes to keep them busy across the first weekend of the new year.
Debuting on Saturday night, The Masked Singer is one of ITV’s most hotly-tipped new shows of 2020 while The Greatest Dancer, The Voice UK and Dancing On Ice all make their return to the small screen.
The Masked Singer, which has an all-star panel comprised of TV presenters Jonathan Ross and Davina McCall, singer and former X Factor judge Rita Ora and The Hangover star Ken Jeong, will be battling the BBC’s The Greatest Dancer on Saturday as they both air at 7pm.
The star-studded show takes the form of a surreal and surprising guessing game that will see 12 famous faces compete to pull off the best performance, with their identity concealed behind an elaborate costume.
Although the celebrities are not judged on their singing, they still need to give a captivating performance to avoid being eliminated and having their identities revealed.
Based on a South Korean format, The Masked Singer has been a hit show in the US where famous contestants have included rapper T-Pain, music stars Donny Osmond, Seal and Gladys Knight and actress Rumer Willis.
The Masked Singer, hosted by comedian Joel Dommett, continues on Sunday at 8pm.
Over on BBC One, Cheryl, Oti Mabuse and Matthew Morrison will return as dance captains on The Greatest Dancer alongside newcomer Todrick Hall, of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The Greatest Dancer, hosted by Alesha Dixon and Jordan Banjo, sees solo dancers and ensemble acts vying for the approval of a live audience and the public while the captains mentor them through the process.
The Voice UK returns on Saturday on ITV at 8.30pm, with coaches Sir Tom Jones, Will.i.am and Olly Murs joined in the programme’s famous red chairs by newcomer Meghan Trainor.
The All About That Bass singer and songwriter has replaced former coach Jennifer Hudson in the singing competition, which is now in its ninth series.
Sunday will see the return of Dancing On Ice at 6pm, with 12 celebrities taking to the ice to tackle increasingly difficult skating routines.
The show, hosted by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, is breaking ground in its 12th series as former Steps star Ian “H” Watkins has been partnered with professional skater Matt Evers in the first ever same-sex couple on prime-time TV.
The other celebrities taking part in the new series include Love Island star Maura Higgins, businesswoman Caprice Bourret, TV presenter Trisha Goddard and former Blue Peter presenter Radzi Chinyanganya, who stepped in at the last minute when Michael Barrymore was forced to pull out of the show due to injury.
Doctor Who, which returned to screens on New Year’s Day with Jodie Whittaker as the Time Lord once again, will continue on BBC One at 7pm on Sunday, followed by the new series of popular period drama Call The Midwife at 8pm on the same channel.
For TV viewers after real life drama, SAS: Who Dares Wins returns for a new series on Sunday at 9pm on Channel 4.
The programme will see former soldier Ant Middleton and his directing staff put a new batch of 25 male and female recruits through their paces in Scotland, the location for some of the Special Forces’ most challenging training.
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