You might think that means they know exactly what the other is thinking, but Fletcher told press ahead of The Voice UK’s launch that there have been moments on the show in which they “second guess” themselves over whether to turn for a singer.
The casting of the double-act was a milestone moment for The Voice UK, marking the show’s first coaching team, but followers of the international versions will be aware that it isn’t a never-before-seen concept.
RadioTimes.com spoke to Tom and Danny about their latest collaboration, which sees them join Tom Jones, will.i.am and LeAnn Rimes as The Voice UK coaches, as a fresh batch of vocalists hope to strike it big.
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Read on for everything you need to know about how The Voice UK’s shared seat will work.
How do Tom and Danny share a seat on The Voice UK?
While it may seem like a confusing dynamic, it’s actually quite simple. The pair sit on an extended version of a normal judge’s chair, but rather than there being one seat there are two!
Ahead of the new season’s launch, RadioTimes.com caught up with the coaching duo about how they manage sharing the chair, which Tom likened to a Waltzer fairground ride.
He explained: “We were made a very special double chair, and it is quite extreme when it turns, because [it’s] unlike a single chair [where] when you turn, you’re in the centre of the turn – whereas when we turn, we’re on the edge of the turn like a rollercoaster, almost like a Waltzer.
“So, there are two chairs and one button, and we don’t want to be too rude when the artist is singing or the contestant is singing, so we have to speak through our minds and our eyebrows and our actions whether we’re going to turn.”
With the pair having to ensure they both agree on the act before turning around, Tom explained that they both have to go on their “gut instinct” as there isn’t a whole lot of time for the coaches to make their minds up on a performer.
“It was something you don’t get to practice,” Tom told RadioTimes.com.
“You just have to kind of rely on the fact that we know each other and your kind of gut instinct. Even though me and Danny have a lot of shared musical interests and tastes.”
He continued: “You kind of trust your partner, and if there’s someone that they really want to go for, you go for it, and vice versa. It was an interesting process figuring that out.
“But ultimately, there’s people who are just so undeniably talented that we both leap for [the button] pretty instantly. If there’s people that really speak to that.”
Has there been a shared chair on The Voice before?
Yes, but not on the UK series. Notable joint chairs in international series have included Good Charlotte stars Joel and Benji Madden in Australia, and pop duo Dan + Shay joining the US show earlier this year.
Much like the UK series, the pairs sat on a double joined chair and had to make the joint decision whether to turn around for an act or not.
The Voice UK airs Saturday 31st August at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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