'The Voice' UK 2017: New Series Twist Revealed By Host Emma Willis

Emma Willis has revealed a new twist for the upcoming series of ‘The Voice’, and it sounds like things could be about to get a lot more brutal for next year’s batch of hopefuls.

In previous series of ‘The Voice’, the competition opens with blind auditions, where all four coaches have to judge a contestant purely on their voice.

If they like what they hear, they hit a button and their chair will rotate, revealing the identity of the contestant, with all four getting to take a glimpse at the end, regardless of whether or not they’ve said ‘yes’.

However, Emma has dropped the bombshell that this time around, only coaches who are interested in a contestant will get to see them, which she thinks could make for far more honest critiques.

She tells Digital Spy: “I think it is good - they do it in other territories on ‘The Voice’ around the world, and it instigates different chat between the coaches.

“When they see someone who hasn’t turned, it’s very apologetic. But if they haven’t seen that person and don’t have to interact directly, it’s a bit more ‘that was a little bit off-key’, which they might not have said having seen them. So I think it’s a good thing for the show.”

The new series of the show will see Sir Tom Jones returning to coach alongside will.i.am, with new recruits Jennifer Hudson and Gavin Rossdale completing the line-up.

Blind auditions began in Manchester earlier this week, though it’s fair to say the coaches had a tough time all smiling at the same time as they had their first photographs taken together.

‘The Voice’ will make its ITV debut in 2017.