The Masked Singer final: The best guesses and theories for the final 3 celebrities

The Masked Singer finally made it to the UK in January and viewers have been gripped by the offbeat entertainment show over the past seven weeks.

The identities of the 12 performing celebrities involved have been kept a complete mystery until they were voted off from the programme by judges Ken Jeong, Davina McCall, Rita Ora and Jonathan Ross. To cheers of “take it off!” from the audience, they remove their disguise, revealing who they are.

Now, just three remain as Hedgehog, Queen Bee and Octopus are set to battle it out on Saturday night’s final.

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Complex clues and hints have been littered throughout the past few weeks as the secret stars have teased their identities, but nothing will be certain until they remove their disguises.

Who could be behind the the final three masks?

Queen Bee

The somewhat frightening Queen Bee made her debut by dishing that she started her career when she was young, admitting she was "a bit of a wildcard".

Straight from the get-go, fans were quick to state it was Girls Aloud singer Nicola Roberts due to her distinctive singer voice.

The guess would also lend itself to the "wild card" clue as Roberts was a wild card choice during Popstars: The Rivals.

This theory was further validated in the second episode as she described herself as a “lawmaker”, with Roberts previously working on a campaign to get the law changed around sun bed usage.

She also teased that her career was launched after winning a competition, just as Girls Aloud won Popstars: The Rivals.

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Queen Bee delved into her emotional past as she divulged that she had attempted to change her appearance after being criticised for it.

She went on to tease her French heritage although she did reveal she couldn't speak the language. Perhaps a reference to Girls Aloud's hit Can't Speak French?

When it comes to Queen Bee, it almost certainly feels like a closed case.

Best guess: Nicola Roberts

Notable mentions: Charlotte Church, Sheridan Smith

Hedgehog

The judges were convinced the prickly customer could be a comedian due to being "active at night" and feeling at home on stage and viewers were in sync as they threw up many funny men as suggestions.

A past in the theatre was also alluded to as they revealed they'd once had a job that meant they died "at 8.30 every night".

One of the names repeatedly brought up by fans was Jason Manford, who has enjoyed stints in theatre and has displayed his impressive vocal talent before

His appearance on stage in Sweeney Todd as the ill-fated Aldolfo Pirelli also saw him die on stage every night, so he was looking like a frontrunner.

Manford has denied taking part in the show, however, presenter Joel Dommett has said that some of the stars involved have lied about not being being part of the show when addressing the rumours.

Hedgehog went on to cite Billy Connolly as a hero and that he was used to singing eight times a week.

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He also shared that he was formerly part of a family band having been taught by his grandmother how to play instruments.

Manford, who has starred on stage in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Producers, has previously spoken about performing in his "nana's band". So has the steampunk singer been rumbled?

Front runner: Jason Manford

Notable mentions: Jack Whitehall, Michael McIntyre, Michael Ball, Alfie Boe

Octopus

When the Octopus made her debut references to being "leggy" hinted that she could be a model or a dancer - just like the Pussycat Dolls' Ashley Roberts.

However, the plot thickened as the weeks went on and the clues became more varied.

Connections to Jason Donovan hinted at an Australian link, with fans guessing that either Kylie or Dannii Minogue could've been behind the mask.

In subsequent weeks she appeared in wellies in a VT, declaring she wore them "at the beach, in the Dales and even in the city".

She also told the panel she could perform in a number of languages and that she's vegan and hinted at a stint in I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!.

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In the semi-final, she informed the judges that her voice "has been known to bring the house down, literally".

One strong contender for the role could be Katherine Jenkins, who has been vocal about following a vegan-pescatarian diet and has also made a cameo appearance on Emmerdale which would explain the Dales clue.

Another potential candidate is Sheree Murphy, who played Tricia Dingle on Emmerdale until the character died after the Woolpack pub came crashing down on her - literally bringing the house down.

In addition, she's married to Australian footballer Harry Kewell and competed on I'm A Celeb. So could she be behind the cephalopod?

Front-runner: Sheree Murphy

Notable mentions: Katherine Jenkins, Courtney Act, Nicole Scherzinger, Dannii Minogue, Kylie Minogue