Ratings: ‘The Voice UK’ smothered further by ‘Ant and Dec’; why?

The more time passes for “The Voice UK,” the more that you would start to think that this season would start to find its footing. Unfortunately, that’s just not happening.

The latest numbers are in for this weekend’s show, and it drew a series-low 5.5 million viewers. It was completely throttled by the premiere of “Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway,” which premiered to 7.3 million viewers when you count the 400,000 who watched the show via the +1 channel. Given that the blind auditions are now over, it’s starting to feel as though the numbers could fall even more. That is the big gimmick of the show, and the biggest reason viewers watch.

So why are we seeing this show fall apart in its final season on the BBC? There are a few reasons we can think of.

1. The coaches – We thought on paper that Boy George and Paloma Faith could be interesting, but instead they’ve felt almost flat. The spat between the two earlier this season was uncomfortable, and we just get the sense that some of the “fun” is forced.

2. Canned comments – Is anyone else tired of the lack of actual criticism? Rather than say “I’m an idiot” or “I’m over-analyzing” if you didn’t turn around, why not admit to the problems that you saw in the performance? The lack of transparency is frustrating.

3. The format – Let’s face it: It gets tired over time, and when the British version focuses more on the blind auditions than any other part of the show, you have zero investment in any particular contestant. You’re relying more on the gimmick than the people you have.

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