The Voice UK referred to as a "big, exciting and warm-hearted series"and a "new generation in its genre". The discomfort caused by the poor design of the chair, which weighs 19-stone, has drawn criticism from will.i.am, who claims that it makes him hunch his shoulders. There are five different stages: producers' auditions, Blind auditions, Battle phase, Knockout stage and live shows. "The Voice UK"s first stage is the producers' auditions, which are not shown on television. The first shown stage is the blind auditions, where they sing in front of the coaches. The coaches have their backs to the singer, and if they
The Voice UK first came to the public eye when the BBC revealed that it was exploring the possibility of acquiring the rights. However, ITV was also interested as it was concerned that "The X Factor" could lose ratings after Simon Cowell, Cheryl and Dannii Minogue left the panel. ITV were said to be afraid that the show with would "upstage" theirs. It was reported by "The Sun" that BBC and ITV were in a "bidding war" for "The Voice UK". "The Sun" Colin Robertson and Leigh Holmwood stated that ITV were "nervous", "fearing" that "The Voice UK" could "undermine" the "X Factor".