The Brighton designers behind ITV's The Masked Singer

Plunge Creations, a costume company based in Portslade, has been busy working on flamboyant outfits for the new series of talent contest The Masked Singer, which has just started on ITV.

The show sees famous contestants sing in front of a celebrity panel while wearing a mask to conceal their identities as they attempt to stump viewers and the panel alike on who they could possibly be.

Among a motley crew taking to the stage this year are Bushbaby, Grandfather Clock, Badger and Viking.

A team of talented designers started their creative process in April, doodling and sketching their wild ideas before the final details were added in June.

Plunge Creations also worked on Series 1 of ITV's The Masked Singer.

Tim Simpson, managing director at Plunge Creations, said that he often finds his brain is “spinning” with exciting ideas for the show.

He said: “A lot of chit chat goes on in the workshop regarding how the silly idea in my head is actually going to turn into reality.

“I tend to get a pen and a paper and wander around the garden or go for a walk.

“I have a bit of a think about how I am going to bring Badger to life, or what would Sausage and Chips look like and what kind of Dragon do we want.

Sausage and Chips on ITV's The Masked Singer.

“With Dragon, we had to think about what’s going to work for the show, look like a dragon and not look too scary for the kids.”

Along with the audience, the team at Plunge is also kept in the dark as to which famous face is hidden behind the mask.

Tim said the anonymity of the performers makes the design process even more intricate.

He said: “We don’t have the faintest clue who any of the performers are at the point when we are designing.

“The performers aren’t even signed up at the early design stage.

“Then as they get signed up it’s only the key team of producers who actually know who the performers are – we are very much kept in the dark.

“We are sent measurements and they tell us what sex the performer is, but that is all we know.

“Producers then find stand-ins who have the same body measurements and that’s who we end up fitting the costumes to.

Tim said that Clock is his favourite of all the costumes he designed for The Masked Singer.

“The costumes are so full on and you need to see out of them, you need to be able to sing and you need to be able to move.

“You have to put all that together without actually knowing who the performer is, not knowing how they like to move and what their physicality is like, so it does throw up a whole load of issues.

“They have to maintain the secrecy and even now, I don’t know who all the performers are. There are still some that I’m in the dark about and I get to do some guessing, which is nice.

And, for Tim, it is the anonymity of the performers that makes the show so interesting.

He said: “I think that’s one of the really interesting things about the show.

“When you wear a mask and you completely cover up a performer’s body they get the opportunity to disappear inside that costume and reinvent themselves.

“And the audience then starts from a new point getting to know who that performer is.

“I think it throws your brain a bit and that’s part of the fun of the show.

Tim said that the feeling of seeing the designs brought to life by the performers on stage is a mixture of pride and excitement.

His favourite costume this year is Grandfather Clock because of the detailed tailoring that went into the design.

“I think the costume is just gorgeous to wear and I would happily steal it and run away with it,” he said. “It’s got some really classy tailoring in it. It’s taking a suit pattern and then cutting it up even further into lots and lots of extra layers.

“Making it out of Harris tweed gives it a real sort of luxury feel and I think you can see that on stage. The performer inside it just loved putting it on.”

The Masked Singer airs every Saturday on ITV at 7pm.