'The Voice' UK: will.i.am Will Only Return For New Series On ITV If Original Judges Join Him

‘The Voice’ judge will.i.am has opened up about the future on the show, admitting he’d be keen to stay on when the show moves to ITV next year, but only on one condition.

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The Black Eyed Peas rapper has said he would be up for judging on the sixth series and beyond, but only if the original UK judging line-up also make a return.

will.i.am has appeared on the show since series one, where he was joined by Jessie J, Danny O’Donoghue and Sir Tom Jones, all of whom have since departed the show in some way or another.

He tells The Mirror: “I would only return if Tom and Jessie J come back, and Danny. Then yeah, I’m back next year. If they did the originals then, woah, that would be different.”

This year, will.i.am is joined by newcomers Paloma Faith and Boy George, as well as returning judge Ricky Wilson, who has previously said the current series will be his last.

Boy George’s appointment on the panel was particularly controversial, as he replaced original judge Sir Tom Jones, who publicly blasted the show, after only learning from producers that he wouldn’t be returning to ‘The Voice’ with 48 hours’ notice.

However, it was recently suggested that when the singing contest gets its new home on ITV in 2017, Sir Tom could be making a return to the panel.

Paloma Faith recently hit out at the show for its gender imbalance, as over its five series it has never had more than one woman among its team of four judges.