Hedgehog is a masked celebrity contestant on the first UK series of The Masked Singer.
Appearance[]
Hedgehog looks as though he just came out of the Victorian era. He wears a black velvet suit with golden accents on the front and black trousers with white vertical stripes. Coming out of his back are huge spikes pointing in every direction. Hedgehog wears black globes and black boots. The mask itself wears glasses with round golden frames and a big black top hat.
Songs[]
| Week | Song Selection | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Black Magic" by Little Mix | WIN |
| 3 | "Shine" by Take That | SAFE |
| 5 | "Don't Look Back in Anger" by Oasis | SAFE |
| 6 | "I'd Do Anything for Love" by Meat Loaf | SAFE |
| 7 | "Chandelier" by Sia | SAFE |
| "My Way" by Frank Sinatra | SAFE | |
| 8 | "Cry Me a River" by Ella Fitzgerald | SAFE |
| "Black Magic" by Little Mix | RUNNER-UP |
Clues[]
| Week | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 | "Hello there, I'm Hedgehog. I'm quite a homely creature, although more often than not, I'm most active at night. Of course I am, I'm a hedgehog. Am I a prickly character? I don't think so. I'm more introverted than people expect, but I'm very friendly. My natural habitat is being on stage, I love it. Hedgehogs normally like to hibernate for more than half the year, but not me, I like to stay busy. I'm a workaholic. Tonight is opening night and I'm hoping for a great run but no worries if not, the show must go on." |
| 3 | "Since the curtain came down on my last performance, I've had time to review what happened, and I think I did a pretty good job. The panel's guesses well I thought they were rather interesting actually. They were absolutely stumped and I plan on keeping it that way. Being out there on my own was a challenge, because I do enjoy being part of a team. There can be many times when I find myself alone on stage, but it's nice to be part of an ensemble. But either way, all I can aim for is to have fun. I don't think that's too much to ask for. Tonight I want to have a ball out there. When I step out onto the stage, I'm going to do everything in my power to bring the house down." |
| 5 | "I think I gave a strong vocal in my last performance. The panel occasionally get close but they'll have to wait to find out who is under this mask. I don't think I ever imagined I'd be a performer, honestly I'm just a normal guy. Sometimes I stop and think to myself, who do you think you 'aria'? Over the years, I've played to a variety of people and I've always looked up to people as heroes. Here's one of my favourites, this wasn't cheap mind, it cost me a 'tenor'. Singing eight times a week can really strengthen your voice, it's like any muscle. Being on this show, I can't believe the places my career has taken me." |
| 6 | "In my last performance I showed the panel, I have another string to my bow, although Donny was convinced we met before. Music and singing was very important in our house growing up. My nana taught all her children, and there were a lot of them, to play instruments. They created a big hedgehog band. We'd play all the pubs and clubs with all us folk together, we were like the hedgehog 'Von Trapps'. Anyway, lets see what's coming up on tonight's show." |
| 7 | "In my last performance, I impressed the studio audience and they chose for me to be in the semifinals. I do so enjoy hearing the panel's guesses. And I can't wait to hear who they think I am tonight. Sometimes in this business they call show, it's difficult to find your way. There's times when you can feel lost and all you want to do is curl up into a big ball. Speaking of finding my way, my work takes me venue to venue. One night, I can be playing to an intimate audience. The next, 12,000 people. I've enjoyed The Masked Singer and the costume helps to hide my dad dancing. I can be a bit like David Brent on the dance floor. Tonight, I'm hoping to impress once again, and I hope I'll 'Sia' in the final." |
| 8 | My performance in the semi-finals received rave reviews. Now, I'm in the top 3. The panel have very different guesses, but tonight they'll find out who I am once and for all. It's closing night and who'd have thought I'd still be here. There's always been a question about what my main career is. Ultimately, I class myself as an entertainer. I'm going out there one more time to face the final curtain. I hope I don't get cold feet. Whatever happens after tonight, I fancy a little holiday, the weather in Scarborough is lovely this time of year. As they say in the theatre, time to break a leg. |
| Two Lies and a Truth | Answer |
|---|---|
| I sometimes wear high heels on stage | ❌ |
| I once worked at a major fast food restaurant | ✅ |
| My daughter is more famous than I | ❌ |
| Clue Answers |
|---|
| Being a comedian and star of the West End means Jason is "most active at night" |
| In Sweeney Todd Jason played Pirelli… who "died at 8:30 every night" |
| "I've played to a variety of people including royalty" was a hint to Jason performing on The Royal Variety Show |
| Jason's reference to "a different stage" was a nod to his album of the same name |
| The Scarborough postcard was a clue to Scarborough, the sitcom Jason stars in |
Final Guesses[]
| Week | Ken's Guess | Davina's Guess | Rita's Guess | Jonathan's Guess |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Eddie Izzard | John Thomson | Jason Manford | Jason Manford |
Trivia[]
- Both Hedgehog & Queen Bee are the only two Series 1 finalists to never be at risk of elimination.
- This was Jonathan's first correct guess.
- Jason Manford had previously refuted speculation it was him on Good Morning Britain, however host Joel Dommett later let slip in an interview that one of the acts was denying it, yet it was actually them.
- Butterfly and Hedgehog have the same birthday.
- Davina guessed Hedgehog to be John Thomson, who went on to appear in Series 2 as Bush Baby.
- He also performed a duet with Panda in the Series 3 final.
- Hedgehog is the first UK contestant to not sing his final song after being unmasked. With the follow-ups being Harlequin, Lionfish, Bagpipes, and Rockhopper.
- Also, he is the first UK runner-up to not sing his final song after being unmasked.
- Hedgehog and Bigfoot are the first two masks from a country’s iteration of Masked Singer to share a walk-in song and the fifth overall to share a walk-in song, with the first four being Swan and Pig, the second being Sausage and Onomatopoeia, the third being Otter and Carwash and the fourth being Odd Socks and Maypole.
- In December 2023, Hedgehog performed “Mr Brightside” by The Killers on The National Lottery’s New Year’s Eve Big Bash, however as Jason was one of the shows hosts he was played by Matt Willis from Busted for this performance.
Videos[]
Hedgehog Performs- 'Black Magic' By Little Mix - Season 1 Ep.1- The Masked Singer UK
Hedgehog Performs- 'Shine' By Take That (Full Performance) - Season 1 Ep. 3 - The Masked Singer UK
Hedgehog Rocks Us With 'Don't Look Back In Anger' By Oasis - Season 1 Ep. 5 - The Masked Singer UK
Hedgehog Performs 'I'd Do Anything For Love' by Meatloaf - Season 1 Ep.6 - The Masked Singer UK
Hedgehog Performs Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' (Full Performance) - Season 1 Ep.7 - The Masked Singer UK
Hedgehog Performs Sia's 'Chandelier' - Season 1 Ep.7 - The Masked Singer UK
Hedgehog Performs- 'Cry Me A River' (Full Performance) - Season 1 Final! - The Masked Singer UK
Hedgehog Performs- 'Black Magic' By Little Mix - Season 1 Final! - The Masked Singer UK
Hedgehog is JASON MANFORD! - Season 1 Grand Final Reveal - The Masked Singer UK
Jason Manford's First Interview After Unmasking! - Season 1 Final - The Masked Singer UK
| UK Masked Singers | |
|---|---|
| Series 1 | |
Fox • Hedgehog • Monster • Octopus Pharaoh • Queen Bee • Tree • Unicorn | |
| Series 2 | |
Dragon • Grandfather Clock • Harlequin • Robin Sausage • Seahorse • Swan • Viking | |
| Series 3 | |
Lionfish • Mushroom • Panda • Poodle Robobunny • Rockhopper • Snow Leopard • Traffic Cone | |
| Series 4 | |
Jellyfish • Knitting • Otter • Phoenix Piece of Cake • Pigeon • Rhino • Rubbish | |
| Series 5 | |
Cricket • Dippy Egg • Eiffel Tower • Maypole Owl • Piranha • Rat • Weather | |
| I'm a Celebrity | |
Kangaroo • Koala • Witchetty Grub • Wombat | |
| Christmas Special | |