The Simply Red singer claims that his concept to find the next "musical icon" was rejected in favour of The Voice UK last year.
Hucknall hoped to find creative artists who could be turned into global superstars in a format that was said to be different from The Voice and The X Factor.
"I approached the BBC about a year ago with the idea of a programme," he told the Daily Express. "I said I wanted to find the next David Bowie, the next Freddie Mercury, the next Lennon and McCartney but they rejected it and went for The Voice instead, which to me was another version of The X Factor because it's not about creative artists."
He added: "I would call on them to devise a programme to find the next Elton or the next Mick Hucknall.
"The BBC are the people to do it because they represent British culture; they should be looking to find the next musical icon."
