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It was Paloma Faith who ­delivered the solemn news tonight.

“Unfortunately one of my team pulled out due to personal reasons.”

Ah well. Can’t be helped. I’m sure the producers have a plan B. A batch of ­untried auditionees on standby to plug the gap, maybe, or giving someone a bye in the Battle rounds.

“So I’ve selected my reserve.”

Sorry, your what? Reserve? When did that become a thing on The Voice ?

Probably around the time Jordan Gray butchered Bob Dylan’s Just Like A Woman at the blind auditions and, understandably, none of the four coaches turned round.

And then she dropped the bombshell: “I’m a transgender woman.”

WALLOP.

You could almost hear the alarm bells blaring. She’d slipped through BBC1’s fingers, we assumed.

That was until Paloma announced that out of the 71 singers she’d refused to spin for all series, Jordan was her substitute for the contestant who withdrew.

To which I’d have no problem, were it not for four inconvenient truths which instead make this the single most staggering ­instance of out-of-control political ­correctness by a corporation crippled by its own right-on, PC shackles.

There ARE no substitutes on The Voice. In five years they’ve never once mentioned the existence of any mythical “reserves”.

At the blind auditions, Jordan failed fair and square. Them’s the breaks.

No contestant has ever been reinstated, let alone one who fell at the first hurdle.

And, here’s the crunch, not only did the judges fail to turn at the blinds but they were completely unmoved. Left cold.

Nobody squeaked a word of praise.

Read more:The Voice poised to make history with first ever transgender winner

Oh, but now they know the score? You wouldn’t believe their change of heart.

It was like they’d discovered Aretha Franklin tonight.

(Image: BBC)

Through a flood of judges’ tears, Jordan’s performance was now “flawless, beautiful, perfect, stunning”.

Boy George: “I’ve just witnessed something truly ­special.

“Who knew? Come on, from audition to THAT?! That was another level.”

It was the same level and one big lie, George.

The full stupidity of the BBC bringing back ANY blind auditions reject, regardless of who they are, is that it has rendered the competition a laughing stock and, worse, placed Jordan in the firing line of viewers’ anger.

Fans of the show should feel cheated.

The Beeb didn’t even think it owed them an explanation why she was the one chosen for the unprecedented reprieve.

But, from the heart, I hope she goes on to win. It would shatter this tedious series’ foundations.

Imagine a champion of The Voice who nobody actually turned for in the first place.

Show’s in Dodo-Land from that point.

The Voice has croaked.