The Voice UK: the Final, BBC One, review Phew. That programme you stopped watching six weeks ago is finally over. And, even though it's been drummed into us for months that The Voice UK (BBC One, Saturday) is a programme about talent and not about gimmicks, the final featured will.i.am and Tyler James being catapulted into the studio on sky-high swings and Holly Willoughby nonchalantly presenting in fetish-wear. Mysteriously, details of said rubber dress were leaked before the show - was this an attempt to entice back the millions of viewers who disappeared after the spinny-chair stage? Gimmicks aside, in the end the contestant with the best voice on the night, Leanne Mitchell, did actually win. She now has £100,000 and a record deal, both of which are lovely, obviously, but ultimately she's the kind of girl who'll probably make more money from telling magazines how much she loves her curves, before shedding them and releasing a workout DVD. Mitchell's victory is a kick in the face for the trendy stage school brats she was surrounded by. Jessie J and will.i.am, being somewhat trendy and bratty themselves, might think the public adores singers with "edgy" hair and clothes, but they should have realised that people who stay in on Saturday nights to watch pedestrian talent shows are obviously going to favour the singer who's the most like Adele. Mitchell was also the only finalist without a sob story. We were reminded constantly that Bo Bruce's mother is very ill and that Vince Kidd had been picked on a bit. And as for Tyler "have I mentioned I used to be friends with Amy Winehouse?" James, it seems The Voice has gone a step further and is now actually taking credit for "turning his life around"; they even played The Fray's How to Save a Life during his VT. Subtle. The truth is that viewers got wise to these tricks about eight X Factors ago, and would much rather vote for the jolly holiday camp singer whose only sob story is that some of her jewel-coloured maxi dresses are nicer than others. The final of The Voice wasn't really any different from any of the previous shows, apart from being much, much longer (the coaches" group performance was so long someone should have thrown it a Jubilee party). On The X Factor, the judges snipe at each other and the singers throughout the series, but switch to being positive during the final, to celebrate how far everyone has come. But The Voice has been so relentlessly, nauseatingly nice throughout that the final wasn't any gushier than usual. On The X Factor, you get the impression that while the judges are vile to each other on screen, they all have a laugh about it afterwards. It feels like the opposite is the case on The Voice. Next year, if the BBC wants to justify the £22 million it spent on the format, it needs livelier coaches, a bit of drama and acts with more, well, x factor.