The Voice

I was speaking to Daphne Colthard the other day on how critics tend to avoid the lowbrow. She said she went to Jimmy’s an all-you-can-eat-buffet of Chinese, Japanese ,Mexican and Italian dishes for under £10 but as a freelancer it was unlikely that any magazine or paper would be  interested though it would attract many more diners and readers than a £100 per head metro restaurant.u

This weekend I have had some friends staying being two sisters and their families. Both wanted to watch The Voice and with no other obvious  entertainment on offer  I was happy to go along. I thought that after a few minutes I would want to read the Saturday papers . I would not go as far as to say I was entranced but I did enjoy the format. This was 4 coaches, Ricky Wilson, Rita Ora, Will. I. Am and Sir  Tom  Jones who promote their stable of singers. They all sing in turn and a vote is taken on who progresses to the next  round.

Perhaps to move on from the severity of The Apprentice and other talent shows , the coaches were noticeably generous in appreciating the singers.  I thought only one a sixteen teen old sassy blonde from the valleys Karis Thomas already with a child had that indefinable star quality as she belted out her number. Sarah Bernhardt once said that an actor’s most necessary quality is determination. Karis’ mother was disabled and in a wheelchair prior to her birth and Karis is doing her best to succeed for her daughter Grace. I think she will.

The key factor is that there is something for all here – the coaches are diverse in age, gender, colour. Sir Tom Jones looking most elegant  in a powder blue suit and shirt and tie cuts a dash whilst Will.i.am was more yer mouthy rapper. Even our audience that went from 6 to sixty were joining in with their  view.

I doubt if I would watch it again but the BBC has come up with an appealing new concept on a traditional theme: the talent show.