I dip in and out of The Voice. I sort of like the judges’ revolving seats when they approve one of the karaoke singers, but that’s all I really want to see. If I wanted to see your actual karaoke, I’d go to a second rate boozer or a karaoke bar (if there is still such a thing). But from what little I have seen of this series, it’s not a nice programme anymore.
Replacing Sir Tom Jones with the much cheaper option of 1980s pop star Boy George and bringing in Paloma Faith are two reasons for reaching for the off button anyway.
Given that no one has actually made it from the show, it’s always been about the judges, but it’s even more so now. There was always chit-chat between the judges whilst the acts were performing but now there’s lots of it, with them singing along and waving their arms about to the songs being sung. They’re not really interested in the artists but they like to show off themselves by singing along and making comments like, “He’s one for you!” Then, increasingly, no one turns round until they have to and then Ms Faith tells them how great they were. “So great I didn’t bother to turn round.” It’s all a bloody big laugh for the stars but for the singers themselves, whatever their merits – and none of them ever stand out for me – it must be the end of a dream. Whether it deserves to be the end of the dream or not is another subject but the clear impression the judges now give out is that the show is all about them which, as I said earlier, it actually is.
Perhaps the BBC is making this series as crap as it can be now that ITV has acquired the franchise for next year so that no one will watch it over there. But that never stopped millions, albeit less millions in recent years, watching Simon Cowell’s wretched karaoke shows. It probably will be much worse and it will certainly be littered with ads, like everything else on ITV.
Anyway, like the X Factor and all the other dross that passes for Saturday night entertainment it isn’t really about talent and people making it: it’s an entertainment show, at least it’s meant to be. I’m very happy it’s off to ITV because I definitely won’t be tempted to dip in and out of it again!
