Welsh pop icon Tom Jones has hit out at Simon Cowell's talent shows for mocking contestants and promoting "freaks".
Jones, who is a coach on BBC One's new singing reality series The Voice UK, also sniped at the focus on "pictures rather than the quality of sound" on rival TV series such as The X Factor.
Explaining the differences between Cowell's ITV1 series and The Voice UK, Jones said: "This is the BBC. It's a fine institution. We don't have any freaks on our shows. No, no, there won't be any freaks."
The 'Sex Bomb' singer continued: "When I was asked to do this show, I wanted to know all the details. I wanted to know who the judges were, who the production team were and who the band were... because sometimes on television, they are more interested in pictures rather than the quality of sound. That was a big thing for me and this show has that."
Hitting back at critics who have argued that image and style are as important for popstars as vocal talent, Jones said: "The first thing that you have to have is the basic talent. People ask me if it was about my looks when I started or the way I did things on stage, but to get my records played they had to like my voice.
"They hear your voice before they know what you look like and you put something forward. That's what attracted me to this show. Getting back to hearing someone's voice first."
The Voice UK, which also stars Jessie J, will.i.am and Danny O'Donoghue, launches on Saturday, March 24 on BBC One.
