Shock upon horror, the next series of The Voice will be the last one to be shown on the BBC. By a complete coincidence, the company, Talpa, which makes “The Voice”, was recently purchased by ITV for £355m. How will we cope? Quite easily, actually.
I am not one of those who believe that the BBC should not make popular entertainment shows. The corporation has always lived by the Reithian (a word I have just invented) principle of existing to “inform, educate and entertain.” The BBC losing The Voice is no big deal.
The Voice is another X Factor but with a difference. Instead of actually seeing the karaoke singers perform, the judges look the other way and only rotate their chairs if they think the singers are any good. They then join a judge’s team and eventually the whole thing is whittled down to one singer who, after winning, disappears into obscurity, usually richly deserved.
I do not see ITV showing both the X Factor and The Voice – why would they? They are both karaoke shows with slightly different formats. What’s to love? No. ITV see The Voice as a replacement for the X Factor and it is obvious why: the X Factor is well past its sell by date. Don’t believe me? Last week the X Factor results show attracted less viewers than the Antiques Roadshow. Since the X Factor has become a bit of an antique, should we really be surprised?
No one actually makes it from The Voice and anyway we have surely reached the end of the road with talent shows. How many more undiscovered talents have we not seen by now? Not many, I’d suggest. So the X Factor will move to Sky One, the Voice to ITV and hopefully the BBC, freed up from the need of spending money on generic tat, will come up with something much, much better for a Saturday night.
I liked seeing Sir Tom, Kylie and Will.I.Am agonising as to whether to turn round and choose some aspiring nobody who would then take an ultimately disappointing and futile step towards future sure to be avoided stardom. But Kylie left last year and Sir Tom was sacked this. I can’t think of a single reason to watch now, which from my point of view, makes this the ideal show for ITV, a channel I never watch, apart from when the England football team are playing (and that’s no real pleasure).
Bye bye, the Voice, It wasn’t that nice knowing you.
