Viewers of The Masked Singer were left confused after Jonathan Ross suggested that a singer who has died could be one of the celebrities taking part in the show.
Following the performance of the celebrity dressed as Daisy, Ross guessed that the singer and daughter of jazz musician Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole, could be the performer.
Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter Natalie Cole died at the age of 65 in 2015 due to congestive heart failure.
Daisy performed the song Unforgettable, which was released by both father and daughter.
Fans of the show were quick to point out Ross’ error, which had also been shared by the programme’s official Twitter account in a now-deleted tweet.
“Jonathan Ross is bringing Natalie Cole back from the dead,” one viewer wrote on Twitter.
Jonathan Ross is bringing Natalie Cole back from the dead 🙄 #TheMaskedSingeruk
— Robert Hicks (@RobertHicks1973) January 25, 2020
Another said: “Why did Jonathan Ross say that Daisy could be Natalie Cole? She died in 2015 ffs #MaskedSinger.”
“A sneaking suspicion that ‘Daisy’ is not Natalie Cole. Mainly because she died in 2015,” another said, while one viewer remarked that The Masked Singer is “officially my favourite show” because of the blunder.
Following the error, ITV issued an apology.
A spokeswoman said in a statement: “This was a genuine mistake by the panel. We apologise if this caused any upset to viewers.”
A sneaking suspicion that ‘Daisy’ is not Natalie Cole. Mainly because she died in 2015. pic.twitter.com/QHBd7lYlDE
— Martyn Rowland (@martynrowland) January 25, 2020
The Masked Singer sees stars singing while in disguise in a bid to be crowned the champion.
Daisy was unmasked at the end of the show, and was revealed to be US R&B star Kelis.
The Masked Singer continues on ITV at 7pm on Saturday.