John Thomson has turned down 'The Masked Dancer' and thinks the franchise has gone too far.
John Thomson
The 'Cold Feet' actor - who appeared as Bush Baby on ITV's 'Masked Singer' earlier this year - has suggested the format is getting "ridiculous" with the recent spin-off.
Speaking on the 'We Built This City' podcast, he explained: "They said, ‘What do you think of that?’.
"And I said, ‘I think it’s a ridiculous idea. What’s next, The Masked Chef? The Masked DIY Expert? The Masked Painter?’
“Honestly, that’s the problem with the franchise. They get a hit and they think, ‘Right, now what? Where are we gonna go with this?’
“It’s just ridiculous. The Masked Builder!”
Back in January, John revealed it was so hot in his costume on 'Masked Singer' that he had to have two ice packs strapped to his wrists and one on his neck to help keep him cool during his performances.
He explained: “It’s boiling, it’s absolutely unbearable. And I watched the ITV2 show, you know, behind the mask, and the guy went, ‘Oh, the Bush Baby’s the hottest costume’.
“I had to have ice packs strapped to my wrists and one at the back of my neck, because it was just insane. It was unbearable – the heat and also the total sensory deprivation."
John also had trouble seeing in surroundings while in costume and couldn't hear anything as he had to wear earpieces under the elaborate mask.
He continued: “Because you’ve got moulded earpieces – like professional singer stuff – you have monitors in your ears and so when they’re in and there’s no backing tracks playing, you’re deaf. So you’re deaf, blind and no one can hear you.”
And the judges - Rita Ora, Mo Gilligan, Davina McCall and Jonathan Ross - were left shocked when he revealed his identity as he had covered his Mancunian brogue with an Australian accent.
He added: “I think the Aussie thing was a good choice, really, because people were saying it was Jason Donovan and John Torode. And then other people went, ‘Oh, his Aussie accent is weird. It’s not right’. And I’d like to think it was alright - it’s the one thing I pride myself on, my accents. It’s 'The Masked Singer', I’m not a fully immersed method actor!”
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