Based on the original Dutch singing competition The Voice of Holland, and part of The Voice franchise, it has aired twelve series and aims to find currently unsigned singing talent (solo, duets, trios or professional and amateur) contested by aspiring singers, drawn from public auditions.

Winners of each series have been: Leanne Mitchell, Andrea Begley, Jermain Jackman, Stevie McCrorie, Kevin Simm, Mo Adeniran, Ruti Olajugbagbe, Molly Hocking, Blessing Chitapa, Craig Eddie, Anthonia Edwards, Jen & Liv and AVA.

Other judges from previous series include: Kylie Minogue, Ricky Wilson, Rita Ora, Paloma Faith, Boy George, Jennifer Hudson, Gavin Rossdale, Olly Murs, Meghan Trainor and Anne-Marie.

[2] However, ITV was also interested[2] as it was concerned that The X Factor could lose ratings after Simon Cowell, Cheryl and Dannii Minogue left the panel.

[3] Danny Cohen, the controller of BBC One, said he wants the programme to emulate the success of The Apprentice and defended his decision to invest in it.

[9] After comparisons to the X Factor were made, Cohen defended the decision to gain the rights to the show saying, "We feel that there's enough difference in this format that it will stand out.

"[10] We've got three dancing shows on BBC One this year on Saturday nights, and I wanted to decrease that but still find ways that we could have live, often performance-based television.

[14] In July 2013, Jessie J and Danny O'Donoghue confirmed they would not be able to return as coaches for series 3 due to their music careers and touring.

They also announced their plans to produce two additional series, The Voice Kids and an untitled ITV2 spin-off, both also set to air in 2017.

[19] In November 2021, only the new series of The Voice Kids was included by ITV as part of its Highlights brochure[20] (for Christmas 2021), with the 2022 series of The Voice UK losing its Saturday night slot in January, to the Olly Murs hosted Starstruck format with Sheridan Smith, Adam Lambert, Jason Manford and Beverley Knight.

After the third Blind Auditions round, when the BBC programme enjoyed a viewership margin of some four million, Simon Cowell and ITV executives moved their show to a later start time.

The Voice's BBC finale was moved back a week due to a Six Nations game which meant it clashed with the BGT launch.

It read, "Four of the biggest names in music are looking for incredible singing talent to compete for the title of The Voice UK.

[31] A further trailer was released on 9 March, featuring footage from the show, "including interviews with the panel, a first look at some contestants and bickering between the coaches".

[23] According to Digital Spy, the BBC was trying to "boost audience participation with a wealth of social media and online activity, as viewers often watch programmes while also commenting and engaging via Twitter and Facebook on a smartphone, laptop or tablet".

The show's concept is indicated by its title: the coaches do not judge the artists by their looks, personalities, stage presence or dance routines—only their vocal ability.

It is this aspect that differentiates The Voice from other reality television series such as The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent or even Pop Idol.

[3] The discomfort caused by the poor design of the chair, which weighs 19-stone, has drawn criticism from will.i.am, who claims that it makes him hunch his shoulders.

[34] The coaches of the team will "dedicate themselves to developing their artists, giving them advice, and sharing the secrets of their success in the music industry".

Artists perform a 'killer song' of their choosing and the coaches each pick three members of their team to go through to the live shows, creating a final 12 for the public vote.

In the 'Live shows' artists perform in front of the coaches and audience, broadcast live,[7] with the current exceptions being the 2020 and 2022–2024 series, which were pre-recorded.

However, from the fourth series in 2015, the semi-final format changes; only public votes decide which artists move on to the final, regardless of their team.

The series is hosted by Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two presenter Zoe Ball,[41] and features interviews with the coaches and contestants as well as providing live acoustic performances by the artists.

In 2014, both stepped down from their roles and were replaced by Big Brother UK presenter Emma Willis and JLS band member Marvin Humes.

[49] Kylie Minogue and Ricky Wilson joined will.i.am and Tom Jones as coaches for the third series following the departures of Jessie J and O'Donoghue.

On 14 August, it was announced that Paloma Faith and Boy George would join Wilson and Will.i.am for the fifth series, meaning that Jones would not return.

[56] In September 2016, the coaches for the 2017 series was confirmed as will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson, Sir Tom Jones and Gavin Rossdale.

[58] In October 2017, it was announced that Jones and Hudson would return, alongside singer Olly Murs joining the coaching panel, replacing Rossdale.

[59] On 21 September 2018, the Daily Express announced that will.i.am, Jones, Hudson and Murs would all return to the show as coaches for the eighth series.

[70] The second series suffered a lot from clashes with Britains Got Talent and premiered 7.47 million viewers in the official ratings.