The Voice UK premiers on January 7 at 3 pm ET/8 pm GMT, ITV announced on Friday. Season 6 is the first to air since ITV “poached” the show from The BBC last year.
Regardless, there will be a few familiar faces on the coaches panel. Veteran coach will.i.am is back. Sir Tom Jones returns after the BBC canned him last season. Plus, newbies American Idol alum Jennifer Hudson and Gwen Stefani’s ex-husband, Gavin Rossdale join the panel.
New digs for The X Factor UK means it now shares the same network as Simon Cowell’s rival X Factor UK. Can ITV sustain ratings for two singing shows? We’ll find out. Ratings fell for competition reality shows this year.
As far as the format is concerned, The Voice UK is similar to The Voice USA. However, ITV has added a new twist. During the Blind Auditions coaches can ONLY turn their chairs if they press their buttons. Coaches will be expected to explain why they didn’t turn, but without facing the singer they rejected. The new twist should result in more honest critiques, hope the producers.
In any case, I’ll be live blogging The Voice UK from beginning to end. Please join us in January.
