The Masked Singer has given ITV a big hit, but due to the need for secrecy it's also plenty of work.

Keeping viewers guessing about the colorful characters is vital to the show – and the judges also need to be kept in the dark.

The show, which is pre-recorded, somehow manages to keep viewers guessing without any spoilers throughout the series, something which others have found incredibly challenging over the years.

However, it's not without some strict rules and regulations to keep everyone in check.

So just what is needed to make it all work and keep the lid on reveals until the big unmasking?

Mobile phone ban

Show bosses have to stay on top of phones in case any little details are accidentally uploaded to someone's grid.

Judge Jonathan Ross recently shared that his fellow panellist Rita Ora had her phone taken off her during filming.

He told Metro: "Rita – who's lovely and we love working with Rita, she's great on the show – but Rita got told off for using her phone in all the breaks, because you know young people and their phones cannot be separated.

"In the end now, they take her phone off her. When we start recording, they remove Rita Ora's phone so she cannot have access to the gram while she's doing the show."

The judges can't go backstage

Davina McCall and co can't just wander wherever they like.

In order to keep the identity of the celebs under lock and key, there are strict rules about who goes where.

OK! magazine quoted Davina as saying: "I'm not allowed behind the scenes! We're not allowed to go anywhere because it's all top-secret."

The Masked Singer is filmed at the old RAF airfield in Bovingdon in Hertfordshire, so luckily there is plenty of space.

That means the judges have their own area and host Joel Dommett also has a space reserved just for him, and the contestants are kept in yet another section.

Secret code names

For viewers, The Masked Singer stars have character names like Panda and Doughnuts.

But off camera they also have special code names just to muddy the waters even more.

Everyone on the production term sticks to the code names so there is little chance of any of the singers being rumbled by the judges – or anyone else.

The code names often have links to the celebrity.

For example, according to the Mirror, Ex-EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer was code named 'Square' when she was on the show, a nod to Albert Square.

Bosses try to trick the judges

Davina has previously revealed that show bosses try to put the panel off the scent by dropping fake clues.

She told the Express that if the judges start to form an idea of who one of the singers is, the team will use it.

The star said: "What happens is we start guessing something and then the next week the producers think, 'We're going to plant some clues that could either be that person or it could be the actual person inside the costume.'

"So, we slightly get led off down a completely different path where we start getting absolutely convinced that it is that person."

Top secret

Although around 250 people work on The Masked Singer, hardly any of them know the identity of all the stars taking part.

In fact, a mere six people know the full line-up each year.

Joel once said at a press conference: "I think there's six people in the production staff who know, out of a production team of probably 250 people.

"That's two producers, a clues team person, a make-up person and a costume person and that's basically it."

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