‘The Masked Singer got me my record deal’: How celebrities took over reality TV and won

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy “If the phone goes and it’s a reality show, I’ll do it!” jokes comedian Jenny Eclair, whose credits include I’m a Celebrity., Celebrity MasterChef and The Great Celebrity Bake Off. So the draw of being able to watch celebrities be ‘just like us’ is too good an experience to pass up.” “We can see from our viewing figures that when it comes to reality TV, our customers particularly love celebrity series and celebrity specials,” says Freesat’s Alistair Thom. “Take Big Brother – in 2018 we saw the celebrity series launch show receive 34 per cent more viewers than the most-watched episode of the original format show that year.” Streamline PR’s Joseph Hagan says that further career opportunities are a major factor in wooing recognisable faces to reality television. And I probably wouldn’t have got that if I hadn’t done all the reality shows I’d done before.” open image in gallery Where it all began: Keith Duffy, Jack Dee, Anthea Turner and Claire Sweeney prepare to enter the first ever Celebrity Big Brother house in 2001 Actor and singer Duncan James, who found fame in the pop group Blue, confesses that his participation in February’s Celebs on the Farm was less about learning a new skill, and more about his boredom during lockdown.