BBC confirms another broadcaster has poached The Voice UK

The upcoming fifth series of The Voice UK will be the last to air on BBC One, it has been confirmed – as the format has been poached by another mystery broadcaster.

Paloma Faith, Boy George, Ricky Wilson and will.i.am are the coaches on the next cycle of the talent show, with Emma Willis and Marvin Humes hosting.

The series will be the last under the Beeb’s current deal, but – as had previously been reported – they did not enter a high-priced bidding war to renew it.

“The BBC is incredibly proud of The Voice, but the fifth series which starts in January will be our last,” Mark Lindsey, acting director of BBC Television, said in a statement.

“We always said we wouldn’t get into a bidding war or pay inflated prices to keep the show, and it’s testament to how the BBC has built the programme up – and established it into a mainstay of the Saturday night schedule – that another broadcaster has poached it.”

The Voice UK has been a solid hit in the ratings, with its Blind Auditions rounds even outperforming some of The X Factor’s broadcasts this year.

However it has struggled to produce any chart-friendly stars: Becky Hill scored a No1 as a featured artist but her solo breakthrough is yet to take off, while Leah McFall struggled after poor radio support.

None of the winners so far have had careers lasting beyond one major studio album.

It isn’t known who has poached The Voice, but ITV has long been considered the most likely frontrunner.