When it comes to BBC1’s The Voice talent show, I have a limited level of interest. I am not in the least bit interested in the acts who appear but I quite like it when the judges press the button to turn round and find out who they have put in their teams. So far as I can tell, not one competitor on the show has actually “made it” as a result of being on the show, but several have tried to resurrect ailing careers by appearing on the show. In the new series, the BBC has really excelled itself and shown just why the show deserves to be on ITV rather being part of top of the range public service broadcasting.
I kid you not that one of the contestants in the new series is Bernie Clifton. He is described in parts of the media as a “Crackerjack legend”, which I would say is a huge exaggeration. The only legend I can recall from the show was the great Peter Glaze. Clifton seemed to be an amiable chap, leaping around the stage in an ostrich costume and that was pretty well it. I don’t remember him being a comedian in the joke-telling stakes; his act was largely chaos. And now at the age of 79 he is appearing on The Voice.
There is a nice little sideline to the story in that Clifton sang to his wife when they were courting and, in later life when she developed dementia, he would sing to comfort and soothe her. That’s all rather sweet and says a great deal about what a decent bloke Clifton obviously is. But that is very different from appearing on a talent show. Or is it a talent show at all?
As none of the competitors actually became household names, there is an argument that says it’s an entertainment show, that the acts which appear are there purely as a means by which the judges, the real stars, can perform. The judges were the only reason I ever watched parts of the show and now that the show has sacked my favourite judge, Sir Tom Jones, to replace him with Boy George and also employed Paloma Faith, who for all her admirable political views (to a point), has a voice that appeals to me as much as fingernails going down a blackboard, I think I will give this final BBC series a miss.
It is somehow appropriate that The Voice is going to ITV because that’s where all the tired, worn out formulaic shows end up. The X Factor, which I know was there all along, Mr and Mrs, Family Fortunes are but three of their peak time line-up shows. I would infinitely prefer to just watch the commercial breaks, of which there seem to be more than ever.
Good luck to Bernie Clifton. He’s an amiable chap but he’s hardly a brand new talent. If his singing had been that stunning, surely he might have been discovered 60 years ago, or certainly since.
As we said, it just proves that talent shows are merely entertainment shows and if your idea of listening to a 79 year old comedian relaunch his career is sufficient reason for staying on a Saturday, then fair play to you. I’m just glad it’s off to ITV, giving the BBC an opportunity to produce something a little more original and – now could it not be? – better.
