The Voice Final

That's it, it's all over folks. It's been good, it's been bad, we've been indifferent. The Voice UK crowned it's first ever winner on Saturday night and it was Leanne (let me just double check her name) Mitchell for Team Tom. So I was wrong.

Just in case you don't know, this is Leanne.

It was a LONG show. Everyone sang well, and to be honest Leanne probably was the best. After she beat Ruth last week maybe this wasn't as much as a surprise as it first seemed.

We had a super judge sing along mash up. I had no idea what The Script song was until the chorus kicked in. We also had the "artists" singing with their coaches, a bit like the X Factor, although they get people like Beyonce. But I think Same Difference had to sing with Jason Donovan so they aren't all great. For either of them.

The coaches were all far too gushing over everybody, especially Danny with Bo. It was kind of awkward to watch. I'm glad Vince went first, I couldn't stand him personally but Twitter seemed to love him. Then maybe you all should have voted.

But who came second or third?? Okay, sometimes the build up on the X Factor borders on the ridiculous but Holly said it so quickly it looked like she was in a hurry to pick up her Saturday night take-away. Where's the tension? Something all these live shows have been lacking. Holly's been a presenter long enough (and on a live reality TV show Dancing On Ice) to know that she should have dragged that moment out a little longer.

It's only been will.i.am who has said he would like to return next year. He's been entertaining at least, even though sometimes it took him an age to think of the words he wanted to say. Unless that word was dope. Tom Jones was, well Tom Jones. Inoffensive but bordering on a little boring. I really liked Danny in the blind auditions and the battle rounds, he wasn't bad in the live shows but I think Jessie J was the biggest problem. She just wanted to overpower everybody. Then when she couldn't get her point across she played the little girl lost routine and thought they were all picking on her. I find her a bit much; very OTT with her facial expressions, she seems like she wants to be the centre of attention all the time. She wasn't bad, I just wished she would let the others talk before jumping in. I'm just being honest, JJ.

It's nice to have a break from it now. Let's hope it comes back bigger and better next year with no V Room, more Reggie and maybe more ZING.

Oh, and Holly's outfit... She probably gave some men of a certain age a heart attack.

The Voice- Semi Final

We are at the business end of the competition here people, the contestants get cut in half (not literally) and we find out who will be in the final of The Voice. We also have Cheryl (THERE'S NO COLE) doing a 10ft jump off the stage and Kylie singing a song too. And hopefully somebody remembers to talk to Reggie. 

DON'T DO IT!!! Ah, she did.

This week I've decided to reduce The Voice Semi Final to bullet points of my observations of the show. 

• There were still 8 singers left at the beginning of the semi final; that's why the shows feel so long, it looks like there is no end in sight.
• So it was the audience who decided which act would leave; surely next week they won't record the results show? What if someone "does a Jessie" and gives out the result?
• Gawd damn family VTs, yawn.
• Honesty was the theme of this week's show. EXAMPLE, "I'm always honest." Said Jessie J. "I'm just being real." Commented will.i.am. 
• Jessie said "We can't say 'that's amazing'" (when it's not). THAT'S ALL YOU'VE BEEN SAYING!
• I think they actually forgot about Reggie and The V Room half way through this show.
• I had a "Dope" count but it was blasted away when will.i.am went all machine gun and said dope about 100 times over Leanne.  
• Jessie said "Bo... Selecta." Has it really taken up until the semi finals for someone to say that? 
• Just in case you didn't know Tyler was friends with Amy Winehouse. I'm not sure it's been mentioned. 
• I love Cheryl's new song, I think it's great. And I love the leap she did. Her outfit? Not so much. 
• People were moaning that she didn't sing live but she did just with a backing track. Doesn't everyone do that anyway? Especially with an energetic dance routine like hers.
• I hate her crappy salute.
• Cheryl's words of advice? "Just live your dream." Cheers for that. 
• I love will.i.am's moon walk with the Olympic torch. 

So on to the results show, and there were some massive surprises. This is what The Voice has needed. Unsurprisingly though, Bo beat Max in Team Danny and Vince won over Becky for Team Jessie. But how did Tyler get more votes than Jaz for Team will, and the biggest shock of the night was in Team Tom. Somehow Leanne won over the hot favourite Ruth. I don't think I even knew Leanne's name until last night. I imagine everyone thought she was safe, it'll be interesting to see how close the votes were between those two. Even Tom looked surprised when the results were announced. 

The Final beckons next week, with only four "artists" left they'll have a lot of time to fill. So expect lots more pointless VTs that I will fast forward through when I inevitably watch it on playback. 

Who's going to triumph? Bo for the win. Selecta. 

The Voice- Live Shows Week 4

Jessie J was dressed like a referee with an appalling 90s zigzag parting, will.i.am (rightly) was digging into Danny's rather dull song choices and I still don't think Tom "I wish I could rhyme" Jones knows what's going on. Welcome to The Voice as we crawl into week four of the live shows and another 4 acts bite the dust.

Alright Jessie, calm down love. 

Let's get a couple of things straight; The V Room is rubbish. Twitter is a great thing if you can use it right,  the BBC aren't using it right. Poor Reggie gets stuck behind the scenes, he really has drawn the short straw presenting-wise. No one cares what the acts think of ANYTHING. They've had enough air time, just stop it. 

And well done Jessie J for tweeting a picture of Vince and Becky on Sunday (before the results show) with the hash tag #teamjessie. THAT'S WHY RECORDING IT ON SATURDAY NIGHT AND SHOWING IT ON SUNDAY EVENING DOES NOT WORK. 

I said it last week but I'll say it again, so the judges get changed now but Jessie still had that horrendous hair style, so really what the hell is the point?? We KNOW it's recorded. 

So what happened this week? At the top of the show, we had Jessie J refusing to start her group performance because her earpiece didn't work. No one cares that much about the group performances i.e. the filler. Super brat Becky mouthing "fuck" when she forget her words while stomping like a child around that god-awful stage to Seven Nation Army. The judges just kept bickering at one another and that got Jessie thinking she was an actual referee at one point. Maybe that's why Holly was wearing a wresting belt. 

Other random thoughts... Any performance where you have a guitar and look a little bit scruffy… In my mind you’re Matt Cardle. *Cough David Julien Cough.* Good luck with that. Also does anyone else think will.i.am texting is a bit disrespectful? I know he has said he wants to keep in contact with the fans during the show but sometimes it makes him look really disinterested in what's going on.  

Cassius and Toni left from Team Jessie as she choose to save Becky after the audience kept Vince. Over on Team Danny, Bo was safe so it was between Aleks, David and Max with Danny eventually choosing the take through Max. 

Four weeks into the live shows and I can't say I'm loving this show. It's not as bad as some are making out but it will need some work before it comes back next year. 

Is it just me or do the live shows have no sparkle? No showmanship? No (I hate to say it) X factor? The semi finals are next week, and they really need to up the performances of everyone; nobody is coming out of this show great. 

And one last thing... For Christ's sake can we stop going on about Holly's cleavage.

The Voice- Live Shows Week 3

Week 3 of The Voice and while ratings slide we're in for a cull as 4 singers are cut from the show and we have the contestants singing with their coaches. Back into the limelight are Team will.i.am and Team Tom.

Team will.i.am.

Britain's Got Talent shouldn't worry them; the final was always going to be big so this week would always be a bit of a struggle ratings-wise. So (intentionally or not) they've "done an X Factor" and *shock* will get rid of 4 contestants.

There has been a lot of bad buzz around the live shows. People have been comparing it to that other BBC classic reality TV show Fame Academy ("Stop Living The Lie"); saying it's too nice, it's too dull, it's too slow. And for some reason they're right. It's not terrible, it's just a bit boring. I enjoyed the coaches and their contestants singing together, but really what was the point?

I've all but gone off the results show, just catch on playback and watch it in 5 minutes. I've seen enough VTs to last me about 10 series of The Voice.

But anyway; 4 contestnats left this week. Matt & Suleen and Adam (THANK YOU!) from Team Tom and Frances and Joelle (WHAT?) from Team will.i.am. Was I the only person who really liked Joelle?

Far too much going on this week and we've got it again with Team Jessie and Team Danny. Is it just me or are we rattling through the live shows? It'll be the final in a couple weeks.

One last question... Why does Holly get changed for the results show when 1. the judges don't and 2. we all know it's recorded on Saturday night?? Pointless. 

The Voice- Live Shows Week 2

Week 2 on The Voice and we all try to settle into the rhythm of the live shows. This week we've got Team Jessie and Team Danny all guns blazing and before we even start Tom Jones does his obligatory name drop of the week; Frank Sinatra AND Sammy Davis Jr.

So Toni was first up and she was good; I'm not sure what it is about her, I think sometimes she comes across too confident on stage. Some people might like that, I don't. Will.i.am gives his first rhyme of the evening "Straight from the gate, zoom not boom."

Then we had Max with his hat and guitar, I hate hats and guitars. Ruth-Ann was next and let's be honest; she never had a chance. She really did take the place of someone better, will.i.am was right when he said that she was as good as her Blind Audition; and that was rubbish.

Hannah, who I think looks a bit like Stacey Soloman had too much going on; the curse of the dancers. The coaches really don't like the theatrics that The X Factor love. But they're going to have to up the ante at some point, ratings aren't going up so they will have to try something. I also think Holly doesn't have a very good grip on the judges; they just talk over her. 

Bo closed the show and I think she was the best performer. She has a bit of Dido about her but I think at least she is different. 

On to the results show and we have Team Will doing a group performance then Team Tom; do we really need 2 group performances? I don’t think so. Although I did like the coaches dancing around. Ruth-Ann and Toni were in the bottom 2 in Jessie’s group and Max and Hannah for Team Danny. I think Ruth-Ann and Hannah were the right people to go, they just weren’t good enough. 

Danny said “That’s not the end of Hannah Berney.” I’m willing to take that bet, Danny. 

Next week there will be 2 artists from each team leaving, that’ll hack the teams down quickly and they also get to sing with the coaches. Should be fun!

Random things…

• I loved the cool little knock knock joke from will.i.am (still my favourite judge). 
• Someone who I’m not a fan of is Becky; she just seems like a brat and if she went out I imagined she’d stomp her feet and throw herself on the floor.
• “Flipped it” or “Not flipped it enough” seemed to be the phrase of the week. 

The Voice- Live Shows Week 1

We've had the Blind Auditions, we've had the Battle Rounds but now it's the Live shows. Shows where everything can mess up and we get to see how good Holly and Reggie actually are and if it's still really about The Voice.

So in the first week we've got Team Tom vs Team Will. It's our time to vote and whoever finishes with the lowest votes it's then up to the coaches (not judges) to decide who to keep.

Opening the show we had the 4 coaches singing U2's Beautiful Day. It was terrible. Poor will.i.am, that is not a song for him. Danny probably chose it. On the US show apparently the coaches sing with their team, so there is talk they will do it like that from now on.

The coaches singing U2's Beautiful Day.

The show overall was very structured and very samey- not necessary a bad thing but it just didn't flow as nicely as it could have. There were an awful lot of VTs especially in the (pre-recorded) results show. There were VTs on what the coaches thought of their teams, what the singers thought of the coaches, what the coaches think of each other. It was heavily padded, and I felt the results show should have been on Saturday night; there was no need for it be on Sunday. Yes, The X Factor has an hour long results show and yes, it's padded but it just feels more fluid. But then The X Factor has had 8 years to perfect it.

With 10 acts performing we didn't really get much time with the contestants; one singer who did stand out (for all the wrong reasons) was Adam on Team Tom. He looks like a member of Let Loose and he talked way too much. He thanked the crowd for coming (alright mate, they aren't there all for you) and he had to comment after each coach said something to him. It was quite embarrassing. Needless to say, I didn't like him. Also he wasn't very good. A cross between Matt Bellamy and Dave Grohl; he was as good as neither.

There has also been talk about Holly not being happy about her face time previous to the live shows. Someone should tell her that being on This Morning everyday and Celebrity Juice is more than enough TV for anybody. I found her a bit wooden, she reminded me of Kate Thornton on The X Factor; way out of her depth.

I'm not sure about "The V Room" either; is Reggie relegated there from now on? Or will Holly and him swap roles? If not then I feel bad for him.

So on the results show we had Tom choosing between Matt & Sueleen and Sam. To be honest, I think he made the right choice, Sam's performance wasn't great but I did like him so it's a shame to see him go. Will was really nice about Sophie but had to let her go, Joelle is fantastic and I was quite surprised to see her in the bottom 2. Although, it's not like she was in the bottom 2 overall, just of Will's group so there is hope for her to grow.

Not perfect by any means, hopefully everyone will relax a bit more next week. Also, I hope the coaches know it's okay to say some people weren't great; not everyone will be fantastic. And stop going on about licks. I literally have no idea what you are talking about.

The Voice- Final Battles

So the Battle Rounds are over and the teams have been assembled. The live shows are just around the corner.

Most of the choices were obvious, although there were a couple of big upsets. Jessie J was at the centre of the first one. The battle was between "Internet sensation" Ben and Ruth-Ann. Now, Ruth-Ann didn't get much screen time on her first audition. But what we did see of her, will.i.am was not impressed. She was out of tune and really didn't have much about her but Jessie J picked her much to the amusement of the other judges. Ben seemed like a shoe-in, especially after the love in the judges had with him on the Blind Auditions. But Jessie J picked Ruth-Ann because she thought that she could improve her whereas Ben was as good as he can get. This is another point of contention; a lot of contestants have taken to Twitter to say how unhappy they've been portrayed.

Ben wrote on Twitter "Where did the rest of my battle go? #HalfASong #BlinkAndYoullMissIt #TheVoiceUK" and Emmy J who lost out to Alecks thought the TV edit made her look bitter. To be fair, all the way through their VT before their battle they made it look like Alecks was far too nervous and Emmy would wipe the floor with him. But hey, welcome to reality TV! Even on the BBC.

Vince Freeman has also spoken out about how Danny told him to be a certain way and that might have cost him. On Twitter he wrote, "thought I was supposed to be mentored not handicapped #shouldnthavelistened". I think Bo was going through regardless of what Vince did or did not do in the battle, so he just looks a bit bitter.

The other surprise was by will.i.am and the battle between Sophie and J Marie. I thought J Marie was one of the contestants that really stood out, and not just because of her red hair. Amazing voice, great stage presence; but yet again the "You can't grow anymore..." reason rears it's head. I think talking about age isn't fair, isn't it all about The Voice?? I've touched on this already, when you see the contestants, how is it any different from every other reality show? It's a shame, as it seems to be the younger "X Factor" crowd that mostly went through to the Live shows.

So now on to the Live shows; I think I'm all for Team will.i.am, but I might flip-flop after the first show.

Things I've learnt so far from The Voice UK:

• will.i am is a funny guy, I think he's going to be great on the live shows. 
• The same can't be said of Tom Jones; while no one doubts his music credentials I just not sure if he actually has much to say. As I've said before, there is nowhere to hide on the live shows so we'll soon see who is best in front of the camera.
• The gimmcky first round I liked. I even liked the Battles, even though they were a bit screechy towards each other. I just don't know how the Live shows will differ from any other reality shows.
• I don't know if Holly and Reggie are any good yet. They've hardly done anything. 

The Voice Battle Rounds- First Half

So no more twirly chairs, here we are on to the Battle Rounds. It's a bit like Judges' Houses but with the judges and Battle Advisors actually being constructive. Tom Jones has Cerys Matthews from Catatonia, Jessie J has Ana Matronic from Scissor Sisters, Paloma Faith is advising Danny O'Donoghue and will.i.am is with Dante Santiago. Who's he then? A friend of will.i.am's and was part of the Black Eyed Peas in the early days. The Battle Advisors are interesting choices; chosen for their musical ability over their fame. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't see Paloma Faith helping out Tulisa on X Factor.

How does the Battle Round work then? Each judge chooses 2 of their team and one song, they then sing the song together (in a boxing ring) and the judge chooses who they want in their final five.

First to face the ring was Jenny and Joelle for Team Will. For me, it was an easy choice; Joelle really was fantastic. I said she stood out to me in the Blind Auditions so was glad to see her through. We then had a battle from Danny's team; Max vs Bill. Both were great but I have to say I was pretty surprised Danny chose Max. He had a bit of Olly Murs (maybe it was just the hat) but I defiantly think that was a mistake. To be honest, most of the others were pretty easy decisions.

Tom chose Sam Buttery who I adore. Great hair, bad shirt, big voice. Jessie J also made a good choice in Toni. Some of the acts singing together seemed like odd choices; maybe they just wanted to get rid of one of them. Danny choosing Bo vs Vince was bizarre; I liked Bo's voice but they didn't seem like direct competition with each other. And why was he not wearing any shoes? That looked more like the thing Bo and her Bohemia look would do.

Will had to chose between Jay and Jaz which seemed a forgone conclusion after all the hype last week and the fact he sang two songs. Ruth vs Denice (that of Five Star fame) had Tom all welled up, but he chose Ruth and I think made the right decision.

Will also chose Tyler, best friend of Amy Winehouse and Jessie chose Vince over Jessica. A slight surprise maybe as Jessica was the first auditionee and they all raved about her. Turns out she wasn't that special and Vince rightly went through.

So the teams are getting cut and the Battle Rounds seem like a success. I have to leave the last word to will.i.am as he talks about Jaz, "You got soul in a bowl. You got soul on a pole. You got soul that you don't know." Doesn't quite rhyme but you get the idea. See you on Sunday as the Battle Rounds conclude.

The Voice- Last of the Blind Auditions

So here we are at the end of the Blind Auditions. And what a few weeks it has been for The Voice. Ratings have improved each week and on Saturday night they had their biggest ratings to date, something which I'm sure will not go unnoticed by Simon Cowell and the rest of the Britain's Got Talent team.

The judges had to finish assembling their teams with Jessie J, Tom and Danny looking for 2 more singers each and will.i.am searching for 3.

There are a few issues I've had with The Voice, but to be honest it's just nitpicking. Things like, they've obviously filmed all the auditions on one day; so will.i.am decided to wear THAT jacket?? They do not want this show to turn into a fashion parade like the X Factor has among the judges, that's for sure.

Also why does Danny copy will.i.am? It really seemed like Danny was pressing the buzzer after Will out of spite sometimes. And does Jessie J know all the words for every song? Very impressive. But as I said; nitpicking. It doesn’t really affect my enjoyment of the show.

Saturday had a few stand out singers, but not always because I liked them. I don't understand why Indie and Pixie got buzzed. They said they wanted to be like the Spice Girls but honestly, I didn't hear anything amazing about them. They were slightly grating for me; I hope Jessie J doesn't select them to go to the live shows. I'm also slightly confused about why some people have been allowed to audition as duets.

One other flaw was when Harriet Whitehead sang. Danny really liked her but said he already had some acts that were similar. But what if he liked her better? Suppose that's all part of the competition. I think the judges really missed a trick with Harriet; they've chosen some acts that weren't worth it and I think her voice was distinctive enough to get her through the Battle Rounds.

With the other judges completing their teams that left will.i.am being the only judge with a free place. It was was up to Daniel Walker to convince him to buzz. I thought he was amazing, and again maybe if he had gone on earlier he might have gone through. will.i.am had a big decision to make, and it was a big decision not to buzz. It was a bit sad when he apologised to his partner and said he will have to get a job to pay the bills. I guess that's show business.

The most memorable moment came with Jaz Ellington. This guy left Jessie J and will.i.am in tears after singing Ordinary People. He really did have a beautiful voice and I'm pretty sure we will be hearing more from him. He convinced Will that he was right in not putting through Daniel. "Follow your gut" as Will put it.

So with a double bill next weekend (Saturday and Sunday night) we start the Battle Rounds. We've got the Battle Advisers (think mentors on the X Factor at Judges' Houses), we've got the teams and we've got the sing-offs in a boxing ring. This is going to be fun.

I'm not sure which act I like best yet; all will depend on how they perform in the Battle Rounds and the live finals. But without doubt, will.i.am is my favourite judge. He says some amazing things. The best?

"I don't have tactics, I have tic-tacs cos I stay fresh, holla." He will defiantly be fun to watch come the live shows, holla.

The Voice- The Blind Auditions Continue

So at the half way point in the Blind Auditions let's take stock of the judges teams shall we? Tom Jones has 6 singers; a mixture of old and odd there are a couple to keep an eye on. Jessie J has 5; apparently she is looking for a standout girl. Danny has 4; he reckons he has a good foundation and most like to play the guitar. Will.i.am is falling behind with 3 so he's going to have to do some convincing to get some more members.

We start off this week with Joelle Moses; for me one of the best voices I have heard. She looks the part and all 4 judges wanted her. She plumps for will.i.am and think she has a great chance of getting to the live finals.

They have invited some really interesting contestants; Allyson Brown won a MOBO in 1998 for Best Unsigned Artist. I was very surprised no one buzzed her. She had a beautiful voice but then maybe because I knew that about her that would have been part of the reason I would have buzzed. And that's not what The Voice is about.

I am surprised some contestants get buzzed while other (better) singers don't. I know they must be looking for something in particular, something they can work with but a contestant called Leanne got buzzed and she was one of the first I can think of that they have critiqued. Okay, not a bad thing but there have been better singers to leave, that’s for sure.

We had another 'I kinda, used to be famous'. His name was Cassius Henry and he has toured with R Kelly, worked with Kanye West and even appeared on Top Of The Tops (charting at number 33). He was right up Jessie J's ally and I think they will work really well together.

There was still a bit of X Factor sob stories when young hipster Kate Read said she was singing to her Mum because she loves her whatever size she is. Well, she is your Mum. Her voice was defiantly different, she reminded me of Diane Vickers; the way she sang 'colours' was very weird. Not my cup of tea but at least she stood out.

Ruth-Ann St.Luce caused a bit of a stir. Jessie J chose her and will.i.am basically laughed in her face. We didn't get to see the whole performance but you could tell she wasn't at her best. Tom Jones and Danny were even joking that she wasn't even singing in the right key. But Jessie J saw something in her, I just don't think the other judges did.

There were a couple of other notable contestants; we had Nathan James a man who looked like Thor and wanted to be a rock god. Unfortunately rock music never fairs well on reality TV, just ask Jamie Afro, so he went home with no buzzes. Bo Bruce was a girl who thought she was always judged on her name (her real name did seem quite posh). I thought she sounded like Dido but I really liked it; another one who could go far.

One of the last contestants was a guy named Tyler James. He was Amy Winehouse's best friend. Good voice but I'm not too sure on him. We'll see when we get to the Battle Rounds. He was also present when Tom Jones gave his 'Name Drop of the Week'- he knew Otis Reading.

So, third week down and the teams are shaping up nicely. Tom, Danny and Jessie all have 8 members and Will has 7. The competition is hotting up and next week we will see their final teams.

It's getting exciting, bring on the battles!

The Voice Blind Auditions... Part 1

So the BBC's answer to the X Factor arrived last week in the form of The Voice. I've talked about it slightly before it started last week but having had a chance to watch the first couple of episodes I have to say, I think it's not too bad. An American import where contestants are judged only on their singing ability by competing in Blind Auditions. There are four judges with their backs to the contestant and if they like what they hear they buzz them in and their chair turns round.

On first impressions it does seem like any other TV talent show, and really it is. But it has enough originality to make it worth while. The produces of the show invited acts to come audition instead of having open auditions so you know from the start they can actually sing. The good thing about that is there are no joke acts, the bad thing; there are no joke acts. Everyone is very SERIOUS. And how do we know it’s a serious music completion? They are playing acoustic guitars; that’s a dead give away. By the end of the Blind Auditions each judge should have ten members on their team, Avengers-style.

So in the first couple of episodes we had the obligatory ex boy band member; Sean from 5ive. Nobody wanted him. It does seem a bit harsh when that happens. Especially after Jessie J admitted that 5ive was the first concert she went to. Ouch.

We also had a singer from the West End, Kerry Ellis. You name it, she’s been in it. So when she was trying to make that last note stretch I didn’t feel too bad for her when no one buzzed as she already has an amazing job.

It was also interesting to see how the judges interacted with each other. They were quite feisty when it came down to getting contestants to choose them. I thought everybody would want to go with will.i.am just because he can sell records, love him or loathe him, but he seemed to struggle to recruit certain contestants. Danny from The Script seems to be doing alright, he's going down a treat with the guitar playing guys at least. The young girls love Jessie J and the slightly older contestants want Tom. I'd go will.i.am but I seem to be in the minority.

The name dropping is fantastic ; Tom Jones’ story about when he went to Hawaii to play guitar with Elvis was amazing. He has some tales to weave, that’s for sure.

There’s obviously going to be a few more weeks of the Blind Auditions which is a good idea. If the X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent has taught us anything it’s viewers like to see a journey on talent shows.

While the contestants are singing it’s actually quite nerve racking waiting to see if they buzz or not. There are still a couple of sob stories, not quite as bad as X Factor but they’re there.

I think they should have given the judges a mic instead of this subtitled mouthing that is going on. It’s good to hear what they’re thinking. Also the pretending to move their hands is getting old; push the button or don’t.

Reggie Yates and Holly Willoughby have the Ant & Dec/ Dermot role of waiting backstage and talking to the families. They haven’t really had much to do yet, we’ll see when the live shows start how good they are.

For me, the biggest test will be when the second round comes. I don’t know how The Voice works but surely after the first round it’s based on the complete package just like X Factor?

Some of the reviews haven't been too kind to the show; saying it is tooth-less and they are all too NICE to the contestants. But that's what you get when you invite established, or at least half decent singers. I think it'll come into it's own when we have the teams and the judges start to mentor them.

The Voice isn’t a rival to Britain’s Got Talent, they are two different shows. I’m definitely hooked on The Voice; I’ll watch BGT on ITV Player later.