It has been a little over two months since the premiere of The Voice UK. This weekend, the series will bow out with its two-night finale, which will see Bo, Tyler, Vince and Leanne fight for the coveted title of The Voice. Over the ten weeks of its broadcast, The Voice UK has generated a great deal of press - and not always the good kind.
The series started off fairly well. The auditions were exciting. There was a genuine buzz over whether the coaches were going to push their button, and the talent on show was superior to anything we've seen before. The Battle Rounds were even better. Each coach pitted their own acts against one another. The performances were amazing, but the desperation was more entertaining. In their quest to be part of the live shows, the contestants threw their shame out the window, and replaced it with the kind of flagrant determination that is usually reserved for contestants on Golden Balls. They sang their asses off, adding all kinds of vocal tricks to get themselves noticed. It was unmissable.
At that point, The Voice UK was proving to be unstoppable. It was seen as a superior X Factor, with contestants of a high standard and judges who had constructive things to say. The show was also winning the Battle of Primetime, increasing its lead over ITV's Britain's Got Talent every week. Then came the live shows...
It was clear from the first live edition that The Voice UK was going to be a very different affair. First of all, the judges coaches didn't arrive on stage with any kind of pomp and circumstance. They were just sitting there in their fancy chairs. Presenters Holly Willoughby and Reggie Yates didn't introduce the show with an elaborate dance routine. Why? Because it's all about the voice, apparently. Each live show followed the same basic formula: ninety minutes of performances to very serious and credible songs, with only nice and 'constructive' feedback from the judges. If you were looking for a dubstep/dance breakdown, then you weren't in the right place. There was a lot of 'emotion' and hand gestures, but not one rap segment.
This is the show's problem. In their quest for credibility, the creatives at The Voice UK have removed any sense of entertainment from the programme. The contestant's performances come off as self-indulgent, and the coaches rarely provide any interesting - by that, I mean unnecessarily negative - critique. The songs themselves are often outdated and unsuited to the acts, and the group performances are shockingly underrehearsed.
I don't seem to be the only one who is going off the programme. Since the Battle Rounds, the show has steadily lost viewers. The most recent episode, shown on Sunday night, was seen by an average of 4 million people. Compare this to the Battle Rounds, which aired just over a month ago and were watched by over double that figure. The BBC are said to be worried about the situation, and tabloid reports (aka made up stories) suggest that the broadcaster is planning on making some major changes for the series' second run.
When The Voice UK began airing, it was hailed as a new kind of talent show, that wasn't so hung up on the personality of the contestants. It wasn't though. It was just The X Factor with less exploitation and more chair movement. I'm not complaining; I love The X Factor and I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I do think that by distancing itself so far from the series, The Voice UK managed to alienate its core audience. The show will finish on Sunday, and The Voice of the UK will be crowned. The only problem is, I'm not sure anyone will really care.