Star of The Voice UK, Sir Tom Jones, previously opened up about his 2012 axe from the talent show, which he admitted was a total shock.
Tom first became a coach on The Voice when the British version launched on BBC One back in 2012. However, after four seasons, the BBC axed him from the show and replaced him with Culture Club frontman Boy George.
The Voice coach Tom Jones ‘shock’ axe from the show
In his 2016 autobiography, Over The Top and Back, Tom revealed that the producers of The Voice told his agent that he wouldn’t be returning to the red chair just one month before filming for series five.
In disbelief, Tom stated that the BBC was a “cold place” to work.
“To say I was shocked is to put it mildly,” the Sex Bomb hitmaker said, adding: “But my shock wasn’t about the fact they had replaced me. My shock was about the way they did it,” Tom continued, expressing that “nobody has the right to think of themselves as a permanent fixture”.
When his management questioned the decision to replace him, BBC bosses insisted he was “out of contract”.
“Indisputable as a bald statement of fact, I guess. But what a cold place the BBC is. Sometimes you wonder whether it is run by humans or a machine in the basement,” he added.
“It’s a shame because I always treasured the BBC – always had this strong British attachment to it.”
‘If it was the same coaches all the time it would get boring’
When the show switched formats and launched on ITV1, Tom returned to the show and has remained ever since. He currently coaches contestants on the 2024 series alongside US superstar LeAnn Rimes, McFly members Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones, and Black Eyed Peas member Will.i.am.
After Olly Murs and Anne-Marie left the show last year, Tom defended the show’s choice to switch up the line-up.
“Well, it’s interesting,” he said at this year’s launch. “Again, that’s an exciting part. If it was the same coaches all the time it would get boring for the viewers, I think. So, it’s nice to work with others.”
Read more: Tom Jones on wife Linda’s dying wish and how he honoured it
The Voice airs on ITV1 and ITVX at 8.20pm on Saturday October 12.
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