They may have introduced Star Trek-like swivel seats; they may have changed the format so that the judges do not see the performers; they may have introduced new faces in the judging panel but the tired old format of picking a new talent still remains the same.

Thankfully we no longer have the likes of Brendan O’Connor but then the alternatives in The Voice of Ireland (RTÉ One, Sunday) are not much to write home about either as we go through another endurance test to find a singer who will be forgotten about two minutes after the final result is announced.

Okay, let’s look at the judges first of all. We have Kian Egan of Westlife who seems to be something of a chairman of the board in that he does most of the talking. He was a member of one of the most odious groups that ever graced the music world and didn’t have an original thought in their bodies.

Next is Brian Kennedy who really never had a hit. He represented Ireland in the Eurovision five or six years ago with one of our worst entries ever (second only to Dustin The Turkey). Then there is Sharon Corr who is the lesser of the Corr sisters and a guy called Bressie who was the lead singer with The Blizzards. What a crack force team of musical commandos.

The object of the exercise is that the performers come on stage while the judges have their Captain Kirk chairs turned away from them. If one of the judges likes what they hear, they press a red buzzer and this automatically sends the chair swiveling in the direction of the performer and it also indicates that they will be kept on for another go.
 

But, and here is the riveting part, if two or more judges press the red button then it is up to the singer to decide who will be their mentor for the remainder of this extremely sad talent show. One reasonably good singer chose Brian Kennedy and one can only fear that they will become part of the also-rans in this contest.

However, if this show did nothing else but generated a laugh, then that it did. After the performance of one singer, Kian Egan admired him for his passion and then hilariously added that passion was what he was all about. Passion and Westlife could not ever fit into the same sentence (well, not counting this one!). Four robots sitting on high stools going through the motions on a Cat Stevens, Abba or Billy Joel number could hardly be described as passion.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.