A fishmonger, a fashionista and a minister will be among those hoping to persuade the judges to turn around when the new series of The Voice UK gets under way this weekend.
The first contestants for Saturday night’s show have been unveiled by BBC bosses.
They include Beth Morris, 25, a freelance stylist from Maidenhead, who will be performing Tina Turner’s Nutbush City Limits.
Beth, who sings in a band with her brother, recently worked with Ferne McCann from TOWIE on her fashion range, also styling her for the photoshoot.
Tom Rickels, 22, will be hoping to swap his job gutting fish for supermarket giant Sainsbury’s for pop stardom.
He will perform Jason Derulo and Ellie Goulding’s hit Want to Want Me/Love me Like You Do.
Tom has amassed a following on YouTube as Tom Tricks, his stage name, with a group of 20 young girls, some as far as Canada, forming a fanbase.
Video game tester John Bonham, 29, from Dublin, will be hoping to impress with his version of the Iron Maiden hit, Can I Play With Madness.
He previously applied for The Voice in Ireland as a “bit of a joke” and was really surprised to get to the semi-finals.
This Saturday’s contestants also include the Reverend John Barron, 49, from Gateshead, who runs two churches. Reverend Barron’s wife applied to the show on his behalf.
Meanwhile, the man Boy George was convicted of imprisoning has criticised the BBC’s decision to hire the pop star.
Boy George will make his debut as a judge alongside Will.I.Am and Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson, as well as fellow new judge Paloma Faith.
Boy George was convicted of false imprisonment in 2009 after chaining Audun Carlsen to a radiator in his London home. Mr Carlsen said: “He shouldn’t be allowed to be a mentor, they should axe him. He is a criminal who has been to prison.”
George replaces Sir Tom Jones on the panel of the talent show. Shortly after the BBC announced the new coaching line-up, he wrote a Facebook post expressing his disappointment with the way in which he was axed. BBC director of television Danny Cohen said he is “truly sorry” Sir Tom feels disappointed.
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