There aren’t many reasons to watch The Voice UK these days. Singing competitions have generally gone the way of the dodo, there are far too many sob stories, and all the “moments” are overly engineered and contrived to go viral on social media. But in the 14 years that the series has been on TV, there’s been one constant shining light, an unwavering reason to tune in every Saturday night: Sir Tom Jones.
When it was announced that the legendary Welsh crooner was to be one of the judges – or, rather, “coaches”, as The Voice likes to euphemistically call them – it was a coup. He is a musical legend in the truest sense of the word, has seen the music industry change over decades in the biz, has worked with Aretha Franklin, Sly Stone, Janis Joplin, and Ray Charles. Singers should be clambering over themselves to join his team and learn from his unmatched experience – and they did.
But fast forward to 2026, and Jones has been “dropped” from the show. ITV confirmed that he wouldn’t be returning to The Voice UK in a statement that read: “We have loved working with Sir Tom Jones over the past nine years on The Voice UK. While he will no longer be a full-time coach on series 15, we continue to talk to Sir Tom and his team about his involvement in the next series.” But it appears that the decision isn’t a mutual one.
Jones quickly followed up with his own story, writing on Instagram that he did not want to leave the show and that while ITV made the decision “obviously a while ago”, he was only recently informed of his removal as coach. “The reason given is because of a financial difficulty with insurance. They now say in the press they wanted to ‘refresh’ the show, and with a new coaching line-up there wouldn’t be a chair for me,” he continued. “So the only thing I know right now, is that there’s never a good time to fire an 86-year-old who’s still pretty good at his job.”
The Voice UK was already on shaky ground (Photo: Rachel Joseph/Lifted Entertainment/ITV)But whatever the behind-the-scenes drama is, getting rid of Sir Tom Jones is a huge error. No matter how many teary guitarists take to the stage with a song dedicated to their dead dog, it was Jones and his unmistakable, inimitable pipes that my social media algorithm always threw at me. And while I’m not a fan of The Voice UK per se, I would always stick around for two minutes to watch him show off his voice (if you haven’t heard his most recent performance of Leonard Cohen’s “Tower of Song”, then I suggest you seek it out right now).
It seems to me that ITV is clueless about what its viewers actually want. We crave familiarity, consistency, and experts we can trust – all characteristics Jones has embodied during his tenure on the spinning chairs. He’s been there for every series (except one in 2016, when Paloma Faith stood in for him) and has coached three singers on his team to win the competition – the most of any other judge. The Voice UK was already on shaky ground, with the most recent launch show bringing in just 1.9 million viewers compared with the 2012 average of seven million, and (aside from Will.i.Am and host Emma Willis) he’s the only constant that has given The Voice any sort of recognisable identity.
If it is true, as Jones says, that ITV simply wanted to “refresh” the judging panel, it smacks of ageism, not only towards him but towards ITV viewers. At 86, it’s only natural that Tom Jones’s fans skew older – but do they not deserve to be entertained on a Saturday night? To tune in and see someone they recognise? Saturday night family entertainment shows are few and far between these days, but The Voice UK is one of the last. Families, ITV needs to remember, aren’t just made up of youngsters – their parents and grandparents have to be catered for too. They cannot just be cast aside simply because they have no TikTok cache.
The rumour is that Jones’s big red chair will be occupied by none other than Cheryl Cole. But that’s hardly a “refresh” – not only has she already been a reality TV show judge on The X Factor all the way back in 2015, but she also hasn’t released or performed music since 2019 (anyone remember “Let You”?). All of which would be fine, if she had the innate star power and show-stopping voice that Jones possesses.
I’m sure ITV bosses will regret losing Tom Jones from The Voice UK. As it stands, he’s the only thing worth watching it for anyway.
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