The Voice UK 2026: the Blind Auditions begin

Series 14 of The Voice UK started on Saturday 22 August 2026 on ITV1 and ITVX. Emma Willis presented. The first stage, as always, was the Blind Auditions: the coaches sit with their backs to the stage and only turn when they like what they hear.

The panel this year was will.i.am, Kelly Rowland and Sir Tom Jones, with Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones of McFly sharing the fourth chair. That shared chair is the change most fans talked about after the first night. Two coaches, one button, and one team.

will.i.am has been on the show since the first BBC series in 2012. Sir Tom Jones has sat in a chair for most of the run. Kelly Rowland and the McFly pair came in more recently. Between them, the panel covers pop, soul, rock and hip hop, which shaped the kind of singer each one turned for.

The auditions ran across the following Saturdays: 29 August, then 5, 12 and 19 September. Each coach needed to fill a team before the Battles. We will follow the series week by week on this site.

The key dates for the rest of the series: the last Blind Auditions on 3 October, the Battles on 10 and 17 October, the semi-final on 24 October, and the final on Saturday 31 October.