0 4 mins 9 yrs

Boy George and Paloma Faith join the coaches

image

The BBC has announced the new series 5 coaches line-up, which sees International superstars Boy George and Paloma Faith join the series and the departure of Sir Tom Jones.

Boy George and Paloma Faith will join returning coaches, DJ, producer and Black-Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am and the Kaiser Chiefs Ricky Wilson for the fifth series of The Voice UK, which returns to BBC One in January 2016.

Grammy and Brit Award-winning Boy George is one of the world’s most recognisable and iconic figures. The singer, actor, DJ, artist, photographer and fashion designer first shot to international stardom in the 1980s as the front man of one of the UK’s biggest exports – Culture Club – selling over 50 million albums, 100 million singles and achieving top 10 hits around the world.

Brit Award-winning Paloma Faith shot to international stardom with three double platinum albums Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful?, Fall To Grace and A Perfect Contradiction.

Boy George says: “I’m thrilled and excited to be a coach on The Voice UK. I’m a huge fan of the show and have watched and engaged with it from series one. If I can help someone to win I will be delighted. What a wonderful opportunity to share my experiences and help someone move forward with their musical career. I can’t wait to sit in that chair!”

Paloma Faith adds: “I’m really excited about working with creative people who are there not just to be great singers, but also innovative personalities and performers. I have a long history of helping break artists as in my club nights I booked Kate Nash, Adele, and The Noisettes before they hit the big time, and four of my band members have gone on to pursue successful solo careers. I’m really looking forward to getting my teeth into something that cultivates the talents of another person and takes the focus off myself for a bit.

Emma Willis and Marvin Humes will return to present the series.

Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC One, says: “Boy George and Paloma will bring a wealth of musical talent, expertise and unpredictability to our new coaching line-up. Their originality and flair will shake things up on the red chairs and take the audience by surprise. I’m thrilled to welcome back will.i.am and Ricky and would like to personally thank Sir Tom Jones for his dedication and commitment to the last four series.”

Mark Linsey, Controller of Entertainment Commissioning, adds: “As one of our original coaches Sir Tom Jones helped make The Voice UK a success, and we’d like to thank him for his invaluable contribution to the series. We think that the line up for series five will be a huge hit with viewers. Meanwhile, Sir Tom will return to BBC One with Rob Brydon in One Big Night for BBC Children in Need.”

The Voice UK series 5 blind auditions begin this September at Media City in Salford, Manchester.