BOY GEORGE, PALOMA FAITH, WILL.I.AM AND RICKY WILSON CONFIRMED AS COACHES FOR THE VOICE UK SERIES 5
International superstars BOY GEORGE and PALOMA FAITH today confirm that they will join returning coaches WILL.I.AM and RICKY WILSON for the fifth series of The Voice UK on BBC One.
The coaches will all be heading to Media City in Salford, Manchester for the blind auditions next month ahead of a new series, which launches on BBC One in January 2016.
Grammy and Brit award-winning Boy George needs little introduction and remains today one of the world’s most recognisable and iconic figures. The singer, actor, DJ, artist, photographer, fashion designer, first shot to international stardom in the 1980s as the front man of one of the UK’s biggest exports – Culture Club. Selling over 50 million albums, 100 million singles and achieving top 10 hits around the world.
Brit Award winning Best British Female Artist 2015, Paloma Faith shot to international stardom with her debut album ’Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful?’ in 2009, since then she has continued to achieve huge success with her double platinum albums ‘Fall to Grace’ and ’A Perfect Contradiction’, completing a hat trick of double platinum records for this remarkable artist.
Speaking about their new coach roles on The Voice UK, Boy George said: “I’m thrilled and excited to be a coach on The Voice UK. I’m a huge fan of the show and have watched and engaged with it from series one. If I can help someone to win I will be delighted. What a wonderful opportunity to share my experiences and help someone move forward with their musical career. I can’t wait to sit in that chair!”
Paloma Faith added: “I’m really excited about working with creative people who are there not just to be great singers, but also innovative personalities and performers. I have a long history of helping break artists as in my club nights I booked Kate Nash, Adele, and The Noisettes before they hit the big time & 4 of my band members have gone on to pursue successful solo careers. I’m really looking forward to getting my teeth into something that cultivates the talents of another person and takes the focus off myself for a bit.”
Grammy award-winning recording artist, producer, DJ, innovator and philanthropist will.i.am reprises his role in the famous red chairs alongside Ricky Wilson, lead singer of multi-award-winning British band Kaiser Chiefs.
Joining the coaches again as show hosts are TV favorites Emma Willis and Marvin Humes.
The Voice UK has established itself as a major force within British television since launching in 2012 with series 4 retaining over 10 million viewers. Series 4 winner, Stevie McCrorie hit the top of the charts with his debut single ‘Lost Stars’ reaching No. 6 on the UK and No. 1 in Scottish charts. His debut album will follow later this year.
Moira Ross, The Voice UK Executive Producer, said: “Series 5 looks set to be our liveliest yet, four iconic superstars all with very big personalities. I feel sure we’re on track for another fantastic series.”
Tim Van Rongen; The Voice Executive Producer on behalf of Talpa UK, said: “I am thrilled to have Boy George and Paloma Faith to join ‘The Voice UK’ family as coaches and to have will.i.am and Ricky Wilson back. Continuing in ‘The Voice’ tradition of having iconic and most current music stars as coaches, both fit perfectly.”
Charlotte Moore, Controller BBC One, says: “Charlotte Moore, Controller BBC One says “Boy George and Paloma will bring a wealth of musical talent, expertise and unpredictability to our new coaching line-up. Their originality and flair will shake things up on the red chairs and take the audience by surprise. I’m thrilled to welcome back will.i.am and Ricky and would like to personally thank Sir Tom Jones for his dedication and commitment to the last four series.”
Mark Linsey, Controller, Entertainment Commissioning added: “Since its launch in 2012 the line up for The Voice UK has been through a number of changes. As one of our original coaches Sir Tom Jones helped make The Voice UK a success, and we’d like to thank him for his invaluable contribution to the series. We think that the line up for series 5 will be a huge hit with viewers, meanwhile Sir Tom will return to BBC One with Rob Brydon in One Big Night for BBC Children in Need.”
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Notes To Editors
ABOUT THE VOICE
The Voice is developed by Dutch media entrepreneur John de Mol and his company Talpa. The Voice UK is co-produced by Talpa UK and Wall to Wall.
Talpa UK is a joint venture of Warner Bros. Television Production UK and Talpa.
The Voice UK launched in 2012 as the BBC’s highest rated new entertainment series in over a decade. It is made up of four stages:
· The Blind Auditions – Once again the four coaches have their backs to the stage, so can only base their decision to hit the button and spin their chair, on what they hear. Every artist must hold their nerve as each coach creates a team of 12 artists – using every trick, every name drop, every bit of their own success to persuade the very best to join their team.
· The Battle Rounds – It’s simply, one song, two acts – one winner. Each coach must pair up their acts to sing against each other in a thrilling vocal showdown to decide who progresses to the next stage. There are just seven places in each team up for grabs and the tensions rise even higher as the coaches can also ‘steal’ a losing artist, giving someone an all-important second chance in the competition.
· The Knockouts – Each artist must perform their own song choice so the pressure is on them to pick the right one. The coaches then have tough – and emotional – decisions to make as they reduce their teams of seven down to their chosen three artists who will progress to the Live Finals
· The Live Finals – The final phase of the contest sees the 12 artists take to the stage to perform on live television for the very first time and face the public vote. Every week, the teams lose one artist and by the final, one artist from each team remains to sing for a chance to be crowned winner of The Voice UK 2016.
WALL TO WALL
About Wall To Wall
For over 20 years, Wall to Wall (a Warner Bros. Television Production UK company) has been supplying broadcasters around the world with ground-breaking, award-winning, high quality television content across many genres.
From the entertainment phenomenon and ratings winner The Voice UK to Oscar-winning feature documentary Man On Wire, the internationally acclaimed BBC genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?, the highly rated, BAFTA award winning ITV factual format Long Lost Family, the innovative living history “House” franchise (including 1900 & 1940 House, and Edwardian Country House) to single dramas – Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story, the multi-award winning A Very English Marriage, and multi Golden Globe, BAFTA and Emmy nominated The Girl. 2015 highlights include the high-concept entertainment series Time Crashers, the return of Child Genius on Channel 4, and BBC Two’s recent ratings hit Back In Time For Dinner and soon to be released all-star historical factual drama The Scandalous Lady W, starring Natalie Dormer.
