'The Masked Singer' will reportedly have its first ever Christmas special this year.
The Masked Singer will reportedly have a festive special to take on Strictly
The decision to give the beloved ITV show a festive episode was apparently made so the channel could battle the BBC's 'Strictly Come Dancing' for viewers' attention over the holiday period.
A source told The Sun newspaper's TVBiz column: "If you think the regular 'Masked Singer' is high octane then this takes proceedings to a whole new level.
"The characters were all brilliantly Christmassy and the party atmosphere was off the scale.
"Bosses want this to be a full scale celebration of all the fun, frivolity and laughs of Christmas as the family gather around the TV to join in."
ITV bosses are hoping the show will be "must-watch TV" on December 25.
The insider added: "Of course the hope is that The Masked Singer’s Christmas special could really establish itself as must-watch TV on the big day."
An anonymous audience member who was present for the filming of the special last weekend joked that the show was like "Christmas on speed", with the show having a bigger budget to create a jaw-dropping festive spectacle.
All of the audience members wore appropriately-festive jumpers, whilst the celebrity panel took Christmas spirit to the next level with their outfits, with host Joel Dommett wearing an outrageously-sparkly suit.
In recent memory, the BBC has dominated the screen on the big day, with 'Strictly', 'Call the Midwife' and 'EastEnders' all having Christmas specials which draw a colossal amount of attention.
ITV has still been able to reply on festive specials for shows like 'The Chase' and 'Doc Martin Christmas', which aired last year and received good ratings.