The Voice UK stars addresses major change to beloved ITV series

The Voice UK is set to make a return to our TV screens in just a few days and there is a major change to the beloved ITV series. ITV has already announced that there will be three new coaches joining Will.i.am and Sir Tom Jones on the judges panel.

American sensation LeAnn Rimes, who is well known for 90s hit How Do I Live?, will take up one seat and in a new twist, McFly band members Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher will be the UK’s first ever double chair.

The new coaches will replace Olly and Anne-Marie, who will not be returning for the upcoming series. New duo Danny and Tom, who shot to fame in 2023 alongside bandmates Harry Judd and Dougie Punter,  will act as one and will need to agree on which singers they want to coach.  

Speaking on whether they have had many disagreements, Tom said: “There hasn’t really been any disagreements but we only get 90 seconds to make our choice, so sometimes we might second guess ourselves, whilst trying to figure out what each other are thinking. You never want to talk over someone's performance, so we’re trying to work out each other’s facial expressions.”

He continued: “There was one audition where Danny literally grabbed my hand to press the button - because I was wavering and taking my time.”

“And there was another one that you turned for and I was like ‘what are you doing?!’”, Danny went on to say. Meanwhile, Tom added: “That’s part of the double chair. You have to trust your partner. If Danny hears something that I don’t, you have to trust your partner. Danny: You have to telepathically talk.”

Danny previously coached The Voice Kids for seven series before making a switch to the adult version.

When asked if the two versions differ, He admitted: “The biggest difference between this and The Voice Kids is that the kids come onto the show purely for their passion for singing, so there’s less pressure and it’s all about having fun.

“With the adults there’s a record deal at the end of it all, so you’ve got a lot more responsibility as a coach. The similarity is that all the talent is amazing, you get the same awesome buzz when you’re putting someone through and of course we’ve bought a lot of the fun from the kids version.”

Ahead of his debut, Tom revealed the advice his fellow bandmate gave him, he said: “Danny’s experience on The Voice kids has been an amazing help. It’s quite intense being in the chair, understanding that this is someone’s big moment and it all comes down to your opinion. Having Danny’s experience from The Voice Kids definitely helped me to relax.”