Jonathan Ross and Rita Ora have said they were convinced Theresa May and a member of the Royal Family took part in secret in their new TV series The Masked Singer.

The 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 a mask.

Ross and Ora are on the panel along with TV presenter Davina McCall and The Hangover star Ken Jeong, who appears on the US version of the show, while comedian Joel Dommett hosts.

Theresa May
Jonathan Ross was convinced Theresa May was a contestant on The Masked Singer (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Ross said he thought former PM Mrs May had decided to take part in the show and was one of the acts singing while incognito.

He said: “I was convinced Theresa May was on it. The voice wasn’t great and the dancing was terrible.

“I’m pretty sure Davina was convinced someone was Beyonce.”

Singer-songwriter and former X Factor judge Ora said her most outlandish guess was “probably one of the royals”.

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.

The panel must try and guess the singers’ identities before they are unmasked as they leave the competition.

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.

Former Big Brother host McCall said she was fascinated by the way celebrities “interpreted the costumes” while doing their best to remain in the competition.

She said: “My feeling was the people that I loved the most were the people that gave their costumes everything they had. Fox was in foxy character literally the whole time they were on.

“Everyone really gave their heart and their soul to their characters. Unicorn potentially was my favourite. They would trot on and off every time they were on stage.

“I just loved how seriously they all took it. What’s also interesting is that monster, for example, must have been so hot under that costume and literally the only living piece of them we could see was their feet. We all fell in love with him.

The Masked Singer Press Launch – London
Davina McCall attending The Masked Singer press launch (Scott Garfitt/PA)

“It’s so weird how you get so invested.”

Remarking on the anonymity the show’s costumes afford the performers, McCall said she would probably do “something naughty” if she could be completely inconspicuous for the day.

“I would go to a beach and sunbathe topless,” she added.

“I miss that. I’m half French and I spend a lot of time in France and seeing everyone on the beach topless makes me envious.”

The Masked Singer starts at 7pm on Saturday January 4 on ITV. It continues at 8pm on Sunday January 5.