Raise your VOICE

Coaches OLLY MURS and ANNE-MARIE on the return of their hit talent search

- VICTORIA WILSON

THE VOICE UK

NEW- SATURDAY, 8 PM, ITV ENTERTAINMENT

Get ready for those red chairs to start spinning around again as ITV's popular singing contest The Voice UK bursts back on to our screens this week, with a few changes from the 2021 series.

In the first of the Blind Auditions, hosted by Emma Willis, aspiring recording artists will, as usual, be going all out to impress the show's coaches - Olly Murs, Sir Tom Jones, Anne-Marie and will.i.am - in the hope that they'll like what they hear and turn their chairs around. Egging the coaches on in their decision-making will be a live studio audience - making a welcome return following the COVID-related restrictions that were in place for last year's competition.

This 11th series also sees a change to the show's format. The Battle stage has been dropped from the process, and instead the hopefuls who make it through the Blind Auditions will be invited to The Callbacks to determine who makes it through to compete in the semi-final.

Last year, Anne-Marie won in her coaching debut with Scottish singer-songwriter Craig Eddie, scuppering Olly's chances of making it three victories in a row.

Here Olly, 38, and Anne-Marie, 31, tell us what to expect from the new series...

What's it been like returning to The Voice UK and having a live studio audience again?

OLLY I enjoyed doing The Voice UK last year, but having a crowd again, it feels like the show has got its missing piece back. It's just so lovely to have people in a room smiling and enjoying themselves. It feels fun again and more alive.

I thrive off an audience - I love the energy they bring. We made it work last year, but this year, we're back with a bang!