Viewers turn their backs on BBC’s The Voice, but BBC delighted

Viewers are imitating the judges on the BBC’s new talent show by listening with their backs turned to the TV screen, before turning 180 degrees if they are impressed by what they hear from the contestants.

According to Metro, viewers are posting pictures of themselves doing this on the Internet, and the BBC couldn't be happier. In the first round of the show, blind auditions take place before four judges , in which would-be singing star performs while the judges – Sir Tom Jones, Jessie J, will.i.am and Danny O'Donoghue – sit with their backs to them. If a judge like what she or he hears, they press a button and their chair turns round to face the singer. At the end of the audition, if more than one judge has turned round, the contestant has to choose which judge they want – as Aleks Josh did during the second round of auditions a couple of weeks ago – as their coach during the next round of the show, which begins next week. Saturday-night ratings game For years, Simon Cowell has managed to dominate Saturday-night light-entertainment television with his modern-day talent shows and singing competitions. The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent consistently give ITV some of its highest viewing figures, not to mention much-needed revenue. Until now, in contrast, the BBC has had limited success with its reality/talent shows, which include the ill-fated Fame Academy, any number of Andrew Lloyd Webber-sponsored, Graham Norton-hosted “search for a star”-type shows and So You Think You can Dance?. Celebrity Come Dancing, on the other hand, does consistently well. However, its decision to do The Voice UK is already paying dividends, with its viewing figures outstripping the current series of Britain’s Got Talent during the 20-minute or so overlap that the two programmes are on. After three weeks of battling for viewers, ITV has made the decision to avoid any clash by moving this week’s edition of Britain’s Got Talent to a later time. An ITV spokesperson told the BBC that the move would ensure that “as many people as possible have the opportunity to watch the show in full”. Earlier in the week, Cowell congratulated the BBC after it emerged that The Voice had attracted a higher overall audience than his show for the first time.