Jessie J and Sir Tom Jones quit The Voice after one season
Monday 23 July 2012
It looks like The Voice has got more to worry about than Britain’s Got Talent viewing figures. Star judges Jessie J and Sir Tom Jones have both reportedly bowed out of the BBC’s next series.
It's been reported that filming dates clashed with Jessie’s upcoming UK tour, but insiders have suggested that it was in fact the 24-year-old’s apparent diva-like behaviour that angered the bosses and led to the decision.
The Domino singer famously told chat show host, Graham Norton, that she didn’t even bother watching the show, despite mentoring ten young wannabes. There were also rumours that Jessie demanded double her salary to come back.
Jessie, however, denied any diva like behaviour telling a UK magazine: “There isn’t anything flash in my dressing room. No champagne. No yoga mats or anything. That was meant to be one of my diva demands.
"But is there anything wrong with asking for what you know is good for you? Does that make you a diva, a pain? Or does it make you someone who knows what they want?”
Meanwhile, despite coaching Leanne Mitchell, 28, to a £500,000 recording contract with Universal, Sir Tom Jones has apparently been advised by his manager not to take part in a further series.
Speaking on Rob Brydon’s BBC2 show in May, the Sex Bomb singer said a few details needed to be ‘ironed out’ before committing himself to the programme.
He said: ‘One of the things I said I need to know is who the other coaches are, because I don’t want to be sitting there with somebody that I don’t admire or particularly like…there are a few of them.’
For years, Simon Cowell was the King of Saturday night television, but when newcomer The Voice clashed with Britain’s Got Talent, the scheduling wars began.
Begrudgingly, ITV eventually had to shift the live Britain’s Got Talent final back half an hour, leaving a programming overlap of only 15 minutes.
Despite this, ratings for the £22m show The Voice still plummeted from 12.1 million to 5.1 million in week 10, so there is no doubt that BBC bosses will be looking to make drastic changes to the programme.
It is thought the blind auditions and battle round of the competition will run for longer with a definite return of the popular spinning chairs.
Producers are said to already be in open talks with potential replacements for Jessie and Sir Tom, to sit on the panel with music mogul will.i.am and The Script’s Danny O’Donoghue.
With Nicole Scherzinger confirmed as Kelly Rowland’s replacement on The X Factor, could a spot for Cheryl Cole be available? We will have to wait and see…
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