A CELEBRITY edition of The Voice is in the works, I can reveal.
ITV bosses love the wholesome, fun feel of the singing talent show — and have discussed building on its popularity by making a spin-off with famous faces.
The original, featuring members of the public being judged solely on their voice, will be back for a new series in the autumn with Sir Tom Jones, Leann Rimes, Will.i.am, Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher in the judges’ chairs and a 14th run has been ordered for 2025.
But I can reveal that a star-spangled special is also being considered for that filming cycle and some celebrities have already been sounded out.
A source said: “The Voice is perfect, family-friendly telly and remains a big part of the ITV schedule. A celebrity version has been discussed at ITV Studios and it’s been mentioned to some names to see if they’re up for it.
“ITV in-house talent known to have decent pipes, like Amanda Holden and Jason Manford and Andy Whyment from Corrie, could be expected to sign up alongside other celebs across the world of showbiz.
“At this stage there are no further details on what it would look like and it hasn’t been officially commissioned.”
The Voice has run on ITV with Emma Willis as host since 2017, after the channel took it over from BBC One.
Last summer ITV shelved spin-off The Voice Kids after seven series but they teased that one-offs were in the works, with a spokesman adding: “We’re working with Lifted Entertainment on The Voice UK for 2024 and development of specials.”
A celebrity version would be very special indeed.
