The Masked Singer: Who is Viking? Here’s what we know

Viking’s identity is up for debate with James Blunt, Ricky Wilson and Bear Grylls all in the mix

Since Viking’s debut on The Masked Singer, viewers have been frantically trying to work out who the celebrity behind the mask is.

ITV’s hit reality series returned for its second season on Boxing Day, with a new cast of stars taking part in the wacky competition.

The Masked Singer sees celebrities dress up as different personas to perform in front of a live audience and judges who attempt to decipher their identities using a series of clues.

So far, Sophie Ellis-Bextor (Alien), Mel B (Seahorse) and Martine McCutcheon (Swan) have been unmasked and eliminated from the competition.

Although the remaining contestants are yet to have their identities exposed, fans have been busy playing detective and voicing their suspicions on Twitter.

Following Viking’s performance on 2 January, many viewers came to the conclusion that the Nordic persona is, in fact, the singer James Blunt.

Viewers pointed out a perceived similarity between Blunt’s vocal range and Viking’s impressive performance of “Songbird” by Fleetwood Mac.

People were also quick to link one of the clues, which stated: “I may be a Viking but I also wear another kind of armour”, to Blunt’s time in the army.

This isn’t the first time that the musician has been proposed as a potential Masked Singer celebrity. The “You’re Beautiful” hitmaker was a popular guess among viewers of the show’s previous season.

Other names in the mix are Bear Grylls, Ledley King, Ricky Wilson, Taron Egerton and – following the inclusion of a legal term in the VT from 30 January’s episode – Judge Rinder.

During the episode on 23 January, Viking performed “Take On Me” by A-Ha. Some viewers have suggested that the masked singer could in fact be Norwegian A-Ha singer Morten Harket, though others, including the judges, thought that singing his own hit would be too on-the-nose.

Supporters of the theory point to the use of “1bn” in a clue, which is roughly the number of views the A-ha song has amassed on YouTube.

Judge Rita Ora previously guessed that Viking could be Man v Wild star Grylls, after the persona said that he is an “explorer” and a “curious kind”.

King was first raised by judge Davina McCall who suggested the former Tottenham football player based on the emphasis that Viking put on the second syllable of their name “King”.

Meanwhile, Mo Gilligan proposed that the mystery persona could be Wilson – the frontman for the band Kaiser Chiefs. Viewers on social media appeared to agree with Gilligan, pointing out the fact that “kaiser” is the German word for “emperor”, which is similar to king.

Eagerton, an actor best known for starring in the Kingsman films, was suggested by Jonathan Ross.

However, bookies aren’t convinced. Welsh singer Aled Jones is the current favourite with Ladbrokes having him at 6/4 to be unmasked.

Wilson follows close behind with odds at 4/1, while “Lollipop” hitmaker Mika is in third place at 9/2.

Blunt only comes in at fourth place with odds of 5/1.

Viking is expected to make their next appearance on the programme on Saturday at 7.00pm.