Keeping the identity of The Masked Singer contestants under wraps is a tricky business, especially as viewers have their eyes wide open for the tiniest of clues.
Filming at a busy studio in central London could make it even trickier, as the stars have to hide who they are as they come and go from rehearsals and fittings to make sure there aren’t any leaks.
But show bosses had clearly thought of all that as the programme is shot at a studio facility at an old RAF airfield in Bovingdon in Hertfordshire.
And The Masked Singer certainly isn’t the first big production to grace the sound stages of the base.
We have a look at what else has gone on inside the studio.
James Bond
(Image: ITV)
The base, which was used during World War II and up until the 60s, has three runways.
So although flying there wrapped up in 1964 it’s the perfect spot to film TV shows and films with airborne scenes.
One of the most memorable segments filmed on the airfield was the flying car scene in James Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun.
The 1974 movie starred the late Roger Moore as the suave spy.
Rogue One
(Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)
Star Wars fans will be excited to hear that Bovingdon was used in Rogue One.
The 2016 spin-off – which starred Felicity Jones and Diego Luna – was set shortly before the events of 1977’s A New Hope and followed rebels who were aiming to steal some plans of the Death Star space station.
The film featured the tropical planet Scarif, which was actually created at the airfield.
The Radio Times quoted production designer Neil Lamont as saying: “We shipped in 2000 tons of sand in about 200 truckloads and imported over 60 palm trees from Spain and various greenery from the UK. We also needed to build a beach and the special effects team had the great idea of recycling water from the tank at Pinewood so it wouldn’t be wasted.”
The Wheel
(Image: BBC/Hungry Bear/ Gary Moyes/Matt Burlem)
Michael McIntyre’s game show The Wheel is also filmed at Bovingdon.
The base was probably a good pick for the comedian’s show, which needs plenty of space for its huge wheel.
It’s proved to be an incredibly popular show since it launched, with the concept being bought up in overseas territories.
The funny-man will also host the US version when it launches.
Bohemian Rhapsody
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
The studio also housed some of the most breathtaking scenes in the 2018 Freddie Mercury film Bohemian Rhapsody.
Queen’s performance at 1985’s Live Aid was being recreated for the movie so location scouts had to find somewhere pretty close to London for practical reasons but big enough that they could make it seem like the site of a huge concert.
Once Bovingdon was chosen, they were able to recreate the stage in intricate detail.
CGI was used to make it look as if thousands and thousands of fans attended.
Part of the airfield was also used to build The Mount prison during the 1980s, which was located on the site of the aircraft hangars and administration blocks.
Dancing On Ice
(Image: INSTAGRAM)
Dancing On Ice used to be at Elstree Studios but it relocated to the 60-acre site in 2018.
Presenter Phillip Schofield once teased his co-host Holly Willoughby about their programme’s new home, telling her it was haunted.
“I’ve saved this moment to tell you that Bovingdon Airfield where we film Dancing On Ice, it’s haunted,” he said on their daytime show This Morning.
“Did you know that place is haunted?”
Holly looked stunned and asked if anyone had actually seen anything and Schofe claimed that it was haunted by airmen who died there, saying some of the DOI crew had seen ghosts.
Judge Ashley Banjo then said that he had spotted “a few mists” as he was wandering around. Spooky!
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
