‘The Voice’ UK: Sir Tom Jones express frustration over last-second dismissal
While we’re not entirely sure that we would say Sir Tom Jones was “fired” from “The Voice UK” prior to its upcoming season, one thing does remain pretty clear here to us: He was not exactly invited back either.
Yesterday, it was reported that Boy George would be joining Paloma Faith, will.i.am, and Ricky Wilson as coaches for the upcoming fifth season, and Sir Tom was conspicuously absent after being a part of the show since the beginning. In a post on Facebook, the legendary singer claimed that he believed until earlier this week that he would back, but was then told completely out of the blue that the show was going in a different direction:
“In good faith, as part of the team, I’d put the time in my schedule to be involved in Series 5, as I’ve done so for the last 4 years. I’ve supported the show and the BBC since the beginning. I was told yesterday, with no consultation or conversation of any kind, that I would not be returning. Having been through plenty of transformations throughout the years, I support and admire creative change. But being informed, as a matter of duty and respect, is an important part of creative relationships. This sub-standard behaviour from the executives is very disappointing. I will always admire the courage of the performers who participate in the show, as well as all the production staff who worked tirelessly to make a great family viewing experience for the audience at home. I wish the show well.”
Did the BBC mishandle this? We’d say so, since you’ve got someone here in Jones who is an icon, and probably deserves something more than what the network gave to him. Obviously, there’s no great way to tell someone that you’re going in a different direction, but you could have informed him much earlier in the process so that he could have made other arrangements for the rest of the year.
While we didn’t agree with every comment ever made by Sir Tom on the show, he was a great part of it and we’ll miss his stories / frequent name-dropping of all the super-famous people he’s worked with over the years.
Do you think that the series owed Tom more than what they gave him? Share in the comments, and head over here to get some further TV news worth singing over sent right to you, and courtesy of our official CarterMatt Newsletter today. (Photo: BBC.)