The Masked Singer viewers were surprised as Matt Lucas was revealed to be Emperor Penguin on Sunday night’s show.
The comedian, 51, impressed fans with his vocal chords during his performance with a band, before joining the judging panel as a guest.
And it was a double unmasking after Teabag was voted out and was revealed to be rapper Professor Green, 42.
Viewers took to X to applaud Matt for his ‘amazing voice’ – after the judges incorrectly guessed it was Peter Andre, Bradley Walsh or Sir Trevor McDonald behind the mask.
They wrote: ‘I’m shocked Matt Lucas was Emperor Penguin. I didn’t even think of him. He’s got some good pipes on him.’;
‘People who don’t know Matt Lucas can sing when he’s literally in Les Miserables regularly!’;
‘Matt Lucas has an amazing voice’ and ‘My flabbers are ghasted’;
The Masked Singer viewers were surprised as Matt Lucas was revealed to be Emperor Penguin on Sunday night’s show
After his reveal Matt said he decided to be a penguin, because: ‘I like a chocolate biscuit’.
Of his experience, he added: ‘It was very, very hot indeed. I thought the guesses were pretty poor.’
Matt is well-known for his singing in musical theatre, particularly as Monsieur Thénardier in Les Misérables.
He performed Master of the House for the 25th-anniversary concerts. He also gained viral fame for his COVID-era charity song Thank You Baked Potato.
For the new series, the ITV show has welcomed a brand new line-up of stars hidden beneath eye-catching costumes, all hoping to keep their identities a secret while taking on chart hits.
Viewers watched as Monkey Business, Teabag, Toastie, Yak, Arctic Fox, and Conkers made their debuts.
After their performances, the audience voted for Yak and Teabag to be in the bottom two, with the judges decided Teabag should be eliminated from the competition.
Before the unveiling, the judges incorrectly guessed Teabag’s identity after throwing out names such as Mike Tindall and Judge Rinder.
And it was a double unmasking after Teabag was voted out after being in the final two against Yak – and was revealed to be rapper Professor Green, 42
Viewers took to X to applaud Matt for his ‘amazing voice’ – after the judges failed to correctly guess after believing it could be Peter Andre, Bradley Walsh or Sir Trevor McDonald
Davina told Matt he had an ‘amazing voice’ as she jumped for joy at his reveal
Viewers watching at home were just as surprised.
They wrote: ‘Would never have guessed Teabag was Professor Green!’ and ‘I couldn’t believe! He didn’t even come to mind!’
After his elimination, Professor Green said: ‘To get to a point in my career where I can say, “yeah I’ll do that”. Where I don’t take myself too seriously. I don’t know if I ever did. I probably would have done this fifteen years ago to be fair. I was petrified. I can’t sing. I was trying to sing in RP [received pronunciation], I can’t even talk in RP.
‘No one guessed. I got a judge, a rugby player, Sir Trevor McDonald but I think that was because of the clock, they thought The Ten O’clock News.’
It comes after The One Show’s Alex Jones was unmasked as Disc Jockey on Saturday night’s show.
After facing Gargoyle, Disc Jockey ultimately lost the judges’ vote.
Clearly relieved, the One Show presenter spoke to host Joel Dommett moments after removing her mask. She said: ‘I have had a lot of fun. We love this programme, as a family, and I just thought, it would be a lot of fun and that to do it for my children would be wonderful. And it’s the most bizarre experience of my life! Thank you.’
Alex, 48, added: ‘Teddy, Kit and Annie, this was for you. I hope that you’ve loved it.’
The opening episode of the seventh series also featured a major twist when Anne-Marie was unveiled as Goldfish, marking the first time a celebrity had competed as part of a live band, No Trout.
After performing the viral hit APT by Bruno Mars and Rose, the judges correctly identified the pop star.
Reflecting on the experience, Anne-Marie said: ‘When I was at school, I had a very short attention span! I’m used to the voice just going that way [in front of me] but in the thing, it was like “Oh, that’s what I sound like!”‘
She later treated the audience to a performance of her hit 2002, before joining the panel as the guest judge delighting fans at home.
Last series saw stage and screen actress Samantha Barks named the winner, having competed as ‘Pufferfish’.
She fought off stiff competition from ‘Dressed Crab’ (Gregory Porter) and ‘Wolf’ (Wet Wet Wet’s Marti Pellow) to claim the victory.
Addressing everyone after her unveiling, Samantha said: ‘I’ve had the best time. Underneath the mask, I’ve been smiling so hard – it’s hurting my cheeks! It’s been amazing.’
The Masked Singer airs on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.