The Masked Singer signs Line Of Duty star to join Maya Jama and Davina McCall on new panel
VICKY McCLURE is leaving the gritty world of crime drama to become a guest judge on a new series of The Masked Singer, I can reveal.
She established herself as DI Kate Fleming in Line Of Duty, then played bomb disposal expert Lana Washington in Trigger Point.
Now Vicky will join the hit ITV singing contest alongside its regular judges Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan and new panellist Maya Jama as they try to work out who are inside the wacky costumes.
Joel Dommett also returns as host.
A source said: “Vicky might play a string of serious roles in dramas, but she’s actually a big fan of The Masked Singer and jumped at the chance to spend a fun day among the madness.
“Fans will love it too, after she inadvertently became involved in the 2021 series of sister show The Masked Dancer, when viewers were convinced she was Llama.
“She joked online about it back then, so was thrilled to have the chance to be legitimately in the loop this year.
“Vicky brings an actor’s eye to proceedings and really adds to the mix.”
Meanwhile, Love Island presenter Maya steps in to replace Rita Ora, who has moved permanently to the US version.
In the last series, a string of faces including Lorraine Kelly and Sir Lenny Henry covered for Rita when the singer’s filming dates clashed.
The source added: “Viewers loved the injection of different expertise each guest judge brought.
“So ITV decided to keep a fifth chair in the mix to include all manner of household names and help out the regular panellists.”
It comes as ITV launched a Masked Singer trailer that teased some of the costumes viewers can expect in the new year.
One is a bowl of spaghetti bolognese, while another is a unicorn dressed as a knight.
There was a pair of toy teeth and, er, a frog in a cupcake.
Vicky will be glad to head back to the madness of AC-12 at this rate.
JACOB ON THE ROAD TO LOVE
SALTBURN’S Jacob Elordi will bring his smouldering swagger to the BBC in new historical drama The Narrow Road To The Deep North.
The five-parter, which is due to air next year, is an adaptation of Richard Flanagan’s novel.
It charts the life of Dorrigo Evans, played by Jacob, through his passionate love affair with Amy Mulvaney (Odessa Young).
In my first-look photo, the pair are seen glowing over candlelit cocktails.
But the story leads to darker times as Dorringo is held in a World War Two prisoner of war camp in Burma.
Ciaran Hinds plays the older Doringo, who is a revered surgeon and reluctant war hero.
Sue Deeks, head of BBC programme acquisition, described it as a “complex, beautiful, and heart-wrenching series”.
TASTE OF TUDORS FOR ITV
AFTER the success of BBC’s Wolf Hall saga, ITV is also banking on viewers’ love for Tudor drama.
Majesty will depict the life of a young Elizabeth I and her place in Henry VIII’s court.
Audiences remain captivated by Wolf Hall, starring Damian Lewis as Henry VIII.
ITV says its series will be a “bold, intriguing re-imagining of her life based on conspiracy theories which surrounded her as a youth”.
Showrunners said: “Majesty is an emotional, funny and contemporary-feeling alternate history about how three outsiders try to stay alive while hiding a secret that if discovered, would rock England to its foundations.”
The six-parter is being made by the team behind medical drama Grey’s Anatomy and filming will begin next year.
AL’S LOVE MATCH
THE party season is in full swing for the great and good of telly, with many attending events every night this month.
But poor This Morning presenter Alison Hammond and comic Judi Love had a real nightmare before Christmas by turning up to one in the same frock.
They attended business awards show The MBCCs wearing the same nude and black embroidered gown.
But as you might expect from this pair, they laughed off the faux pas.
Judi said online that there was no one she would rather be at and event with in the same outfit, and added: “We laughed so hard and at the same time loved it so much.”
No wonder, when they both looked so fab.
CLAIRE’S BADDIE A BLESSING
CLAIRE SWEENEY is relishing her new role as a Coronation Street villain.
The actress’ character, Cassie Plummer, has been drugging beloved show veteran Ken Barlow by crushing painkillers and blood thinners into this tea – because she is desperate to feel needed.
But Claire, who was known as Lindsey Corkhill to viewers of Channel 4 soap Brookside during the Nineties and Noughties, is loving it.
Chatting at the Devil Wears Prada charity gala on Sunday, she said: “I’m very, very busy poisoning Ken Barlow, who’s a national treasure.
“So while I’m angelic in white tonight, I’m an absolute horror in Corrie.
“I’m happy and I’m loving it.
“I’m working with icons Maureen Lipman, Bill Roache, Simon Gregson, Alan Halsall and I feel very blessed.
“I’m 52 years of age and to literally have another bite of the cherry, I feel so blessed.”
Probably the opposite of how poor Ken is feeling.
JASMINE A PRIME MOVER
CHANNEL 4 has the perfect antidote to January blues by moving A Place In The Sun to a primetime spot.
The property show will move to the new time slot of 6pm on January 2.
Episodes will take us to gorgeous locations including the Mediterranean island of Gozo and the breathtaking vistas of Lake Garda in Italy.
Unusual properties include a cave house in Granada and a converted pub in France.
Presenter Jasmine Harman, who relocated her family to Spain in 2023, said: “We are so excited to bring A Place in the Sun to a new tea-time slot.
“This move reflects the show’s popularity and our dedication to providing viewers with inspirational stories and exciting journeys.
“Our move to Spain has transformed my life, so I hope we’ll be able to do the same for even more house-hunters dreaming of living in the sun.”