‘The Voice’: Tom Jones ‘Unceremoniously’ Dumped, More BBC Ageism?
The BBC have “unceremoniously” dumped Sir Tom Jones from the UK version of The Voice. Jones claims that he was told “with no consultation or conversation of any kind” that he was not returning for the next season of The Voice. Sir Tom said he had already penciled season five of The Voice into his schedule and had expected to continue in his role. To add insult to injury, the BBC revealed the new line-up of coaches for The Voice just one day later.
According to the Telegraph, Sir Tom has accused BBC executives on The Voice of “sub-standard behavior.” Sir Tom said that he was “shocked and disappoint[ed] about The Voice UK. I was told yesterday, with no consultation or conversation of any kind, that I would not be returning. ”
For more details: https://t.co/2Kieci6uYj pic.twitter.com/E27Yp2oX9y
— Tom Jones (@RealSirTomJones) August 14, 2015
According to the Independent, Sir Tom is not the only coach to leave the UK version of The Voice this year. Singer Rita Ora has also left. As a result, Boy George and Paloma Faith join returning judges Will.i.am and Ricky Wilson for the show’s new season in January.
Fans of Sir Tom and The Voice took to social media in their droves to complain about Jones being axed from the show.
One user summed up the feeling of many by simply saying, “I refuse to watch The Voice UK without Tom Jones.”
“@OscarFrAllen: I refuse to watch #TheVoiceUK without @RealSirTomJones”. Never be the same. #BBCfail
— Kim Bright (@Kim_Bright) August 15, 2015
By axing 75-year-old Jones from The Voice, the BBC will undoubtedly face further claims that they are penalizing older people. Earlier this year, Madonna slammed BBC Radio 1 producers after they refused to play he new music on the station. The BBC claimed that Madonna’s music was no longer relevant to the station audience.
The Daily Mail reported that the BBC also sacked radio presenter Judi Spiers from her long-running show, sparking a further ageism row. Veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby also slammed the BBC for being both ageist and sexist because of the lack of older women in front of the BBC cameras.
A spokesperson for The Voice defended the decision to sack Sir Tom. According to the Mirror, they say that the decision on the line-up of coaches for the next season of The Voice was only taken on Wednesday, and Sir Tom’s team was informed on Thursday morning. They claim that no role on The Voice was ever promised to Sir Tom.
What do Inquisitr reader think? Has Tom Jones been sacked from his role on The Voice UK as a result of his age? Have the BBC acted badly?
[Photo by Alan Ewart]
