Masked Singer act pulled due to ‘potential insensitivities’ after Swiss bar fire

An act has been pulled from Saturday’s The Masked Singer episode due to “potential insensitivities” in the wake of the Swiss bar fire that killed 40 people.

It was the first instalment in the 2026 series of the singing competition, which involves celebrities performing in elaborate costumes.

Red Panda, one of several characters that contestants are disguised as, was removed from the episode.

An ITV spokesperson said: “In light of the tragic events in Switzerland, we took the decision to remove Red Panda’s performance on The Masked Singer in tonight’s programme owing to potential insensitivities within the theme and lyrics of the song.

“Viewers will get to see Red Panda perform in the coming weeks.”

Images appear to show Red Panda wearing sooty hi-vis firefighter overalls and a helmet with a flames and bucket symbol.

ITV has not revealed what song the character was to perform.

There were 119 people injured in the blaze at the Crans-Montana resort that started while revellers were celebrating New Year’s Eve.

The Masked Singer is hosted by comedian Joel Dommett and on Saturday it aired at 6.40pm rather than its usual 6.30pm start.

It saw the first celebrity unmasked as the BBC’s The One Show host Alex Jones.

The Welsh presenter performed Pink Pony Club by American pop star Chappell Roan.

Asked if she prefers her usual job or The Masked Singer, she told ITV: “It’s a tough call but I think I should probably stick to speaking. I’ve had such fun.

“I’ve never sung in my life – in fact, it was a bit of a phobia. When I was little, I always used to have a cold and they just chucked me out of the choir.

“From then on, I thought ‘that’s it, singing is not for me’. But I was convinced to do this because the kids love the programme so I thought, ‘OK let’s do it’. So it’s been a big thing to overcome.”

Her message to her children was “to know that overcoming fear is a good thing”.

“They’ll think ‘god, our mother, do you remember when she dressed as a disc jockey and she sang on national television without any sort of voice?’.”

The 2025 series was won by musical theatre star and Les Miserables actress Samantha Barks who was dressed as a pufferfish.

The Masked Singer continues on Sunday at 6.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.