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LONDON — Ricky Wilson, lead singer of British band Kaiser Chiefs, will fill the fourth coach position on BBC One’s The Voice UK when it returns for its third season here in January, completing the show’s revamped lineup.
The U.K. public broadcaster announced the news Thursday after adding Kylie Minogue and a new duo of hosts. Wilson and Minogue replace Jessie J and Danny O’Donoghue in the red coaching chairs on the show. Tom Jones and will.i.am are returning as coaches.
The Voice UK in its first season beat Simon Cowell‘s Britain’s Got Talent several weeks in a row, but lost momentum in its second season, leading to calls for new coaches, hosts and format tweaks.
The Kaiser Chiefs topped the U.K. charts with “Ruby” and held top-10 positions with such songs as “I Predict a Riot,” “Every Day I Love You Less and Less” and “Oh My God.” The band also performed at the Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London last year.
“Who doesn’t want to spend their Saturday night with Kylie Minogue?” quipped Wilson. “I spent last winter yelling at The Voice, and both Sir Tom Jones and will.i.am were total superstars. I’m just lucky the Kaiser Chiefs have rubber-stamped my temporary loan!”
Wilson has previously appeared on the BBC, including as host of music-themed comedy panel game show Never Mind the Buzzcocks and an appearance on The Culture Show.
Mark Linsey, controller, entertainment commissioning at the BBC, said: “Ricky is one of the U.K. music scene’s great frontmen. He knows all about performance and will complement the rest of the coaching lineup perfectly.”
Echoed Moira Ross, head of entertainment at The Voice UK producer Wall to Wall: “Being the showman that he is, I think Ricky is the perfect addition to our coaching lineup.”
Charlotte Moore, controller of BBC One, said the show’s return “is all set to be bigger and better than ever.”
E-mail: Georg.Szalai@THR.com
Twitter: @georgszalai
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