The chaos that is The Masked Singer is officially back on ITV for 2026, with a new lineup of mental costumes to figure out the significance of.
And one of them is itself playing on the saying for something overly complex when you start to tackle it. Welcome: Can of Worms.
Joel Dommett returns as host for its seventh series, with Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan and Maya Jama back as the panel of detectives.
Maya has already singled out the wormy can as her favourite performance of the bunch from this series, so they’re certainly one to watch.
Speaking ahead of the show’s launch, the Love Island presenter said: ‘The character raps, and I was so impressed by the timekeeping of all the rapping ability of a massive can of worms! They don’t miss a beat!’
Could the rapping ability be one of the possible clues to piece together their identity? Scroll on for our full breakdown of the puzzle.
What are the clues for Can of Worms’ identity?
- They speak with an American accent, but is it fake?
- A plate of pastries appeared in their first VT – could it be someone from breakfast TV?
- They are shown to be gardening, saying, ‘Here’s my patch,’ and talking about growing ‘beautiful things.’
- ‘As a worm, I have green fingers … it runs in the family like it was written in the stars.’
- A framed photo of James May and Richard Hammond appeared – perhaps someone with a Top Gear connection or from Clarkson’s Farm?
- ‘It really sucks when I have to wrestle with wildlife.’
Who could Can of Worms be on The Masked Singer be?
Kaleb Cooper
Despite branding the costume ‘repulsive’, Jonathan declared that Can of Worms had ‘won him over’, adding that he reckons the star underneath is someone who ‘can really sing’.
He noted that the clue package contained plenty of farming references, and while he doesn’t believe Jeremy Clarkson himself has such pipes on him, guest judge Anne-Marie suggested on launch night it could be Kaleb Cooper.
‘I don’t think the American accent was real, and I think Kaleb has a very strong accent, and we’d know was him,’ said the pop star.
Robbie Williams
‘I got very excited when I heard the word “Stoke,” and I thought Robbie Williams,’ suggested Davina, with the Angels hitmaker having been born in Stoke-on-Trent.
‘Robbie’s dad was a comedian, because it was talking about family, written in the stars…’, she added, believing Robbie’s entertainer father, Pete Conway, was an Easter egg.
Paul Whitehouse
Comedian Mo started dissecting Can of Worms’s costume, explaining how it’s something used in fishing.
‘There was a show about two dads fishing. Who was the guy who did the fishing?’, he asked.
‘Paul Whitehouse,’ Jonathan replied, adding that he can indeed sing.
‘He was in the West End in Only Fools and Horses playing Grandpa, and his mother was an opera singer.’
Davina jumped in to point out how tall Can of Worms is, agreeing that the 67-year-old Welsh actor could well be under the mask.
Ben Shephard
Maya reckons the breakfast clues in Can of Worms’s VT point to someone who hosts daytime TV – such as Ben Shephard.
Over on X, viewers agreed that the character’s voice very much ‘sounds like’ the Tipping Point host.
‘Plenty of clues to match,’ added @AverageDarts180 to their prediction.
‘If Can of Worms isn’t @benshephard I will eat my hat!’, @FameAsser declared with certainty.
But are they correct?
The Masked Singer 2026 continues on ITV1 and ITVX.
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