‘The Voice’ UK: Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson replaces Danny O’Donoghue on panel

How is this for a surprise? We now know who the fourth and final coach for “The Voice” UK season 3 is going to be … but it is not someone we are particularly familiar with in comparison to the others.

Clearly in an effort to keep the template of having a rock star on the coaching panel, Ricky Wilson of Kaiser Chiefs is going to be replacing Danny O’Donoghue and joining Sir Tom Jones, will.i.am, and fellow newcomer Kylie Minogue on the show, which will return with new episodes in the winter. In a statement released by the show and BBC One, Wilson had the following to say about getting the opportunity to take on the gig:

“Who doesn’t want to spend their Saturday night with Kylie Minogue? I spent last winter yelling at The Voice, and both Sir Tom Jones and will.i.am were total superstars. I’m just lucky the Kaiser Chiefs have rubber stamped my temporary loan!”

There is also a change when it comes to the show’s hosts for season 3, as Emma Willis and Marvin Humes of JLS have signed up in replacement of Holly Willoughby and Reggie Yates. We don’t really care too much about this, since the original pair were more or less just generic TV presenters.

Ultimately, we see “The Voice” UK this year in the same way that we see “The X Factor” here in America: It’s got one last chance to do something important. The ratings for the British talent show are not great, and their record of finding stars is even worse than “X Factor” USA. Andrea Begley may have a nice story, but we don’t see her becoming someone who sells millions of albums.

Do you think that any of these changes are going to help “The Voice” UK at all? As always, we want to hear your thoughts below! Meanwhile, click here to read about the changes that have brought Kylie to the panel this year.

Photo: BBC One