The Voice may be winning the talent show ratings war in the UK but viewers have branded last Sunday's pre-recorded results show (April 29, 2012) as 'ridiculous.' The Daily Mail reported yesterday (April 30, 2012) that viewers branded Sunday's show, which had been filmed on Saturday night, as "amateurish" and "odd." Many viewers are said to have switched over to ITV instead.

To add insult to injury, WILL.I.AM sent out a misleading message via his Twitter feed, on Sunday, saying "Tonight is going to be a difficult decision for me...I hate the idea of sending talented people home...thevoiceuk" despite the decision having already been made and filmed the previous night. A BBC insider has told The Daily Mail that the results show has been pre-recorded to save money, explaining that it would cost "an extortionate amount" to film the eviction programmes separately in a live setting. As a result of the show's chosen filming format, the voting lines were only open for half an hour. They closed at 9pm on Saturday night. The BBC source told the newspaper "If we did broadcast live on Sunday, we would be accused of wasting license fee payers money."

The official line from the BBC was that the results show would continue to be pre-recorded until the live final, which takes place on June 2, 2012. The BBC has reportedly received 30 complaints so far about the results show. Judge will.i.am also ruffled a few feather when he was caught texting on the live show, having ignored the floor manager's request for him to switch his phone off.