What's New Pussycat? - an audience with Sir Tom Jones

One of the things I absolutely love about my job is never knowing what the day is going to bring.

Take today for example, I was on the tube heading into the office thinking about the weekend and within a couple of hours I was sat at a table with Sir Tom Jones discussing his latest role as a reality talent show judge.

By lunchtime I had ticked Will.I.Am, Jessie J, Holly Willoughby, Reggie Yates and The Script singer Daniel O’Donoghue off my ‘Still To Interview” list.

Who else gets to say that when they get home from a day at the office?

They are all starring in the new BBC talent search The Voice due to start next month.

The four big stars are the judges, or “coaches” as they promise not to bully and criticise the contestants but mentor them through the competition, and Holly and Reggie will present the show.

It follows the same format of contestants singing to impress a panel of experts enough to be taken through to the competition which they hope will eventually set them on the road to superstardom.

But in a twist to the conventional layout, it is the coaches who have to convince the contestants to pick them to be their mentor.

As the title suggests, it is all about “the voice”, and according to Jessie J it “is and always has been about the music”.

What she means is this time round the reality talent search machine will detract from the X-Factor freak show formula in the search for a real singer.

Only proper singers get to audition, instead of  the array of oddballs who turn out for the Simon Cowell annual carnival of misfits.

It looks quite good, but we were sworn to secrecy by the BBC so I am not at liberty to spill any more beans until just before the show airs.

As I have said before, I am not usually awestruck by celebrities. I have seen them come and I have seen them go, and have often been on the receiving end of their publicity machine during the bit in between.

Reality houses, jungle trials, skating on ice, yeh yeh, yawn, seen and heard it all before.

But, the chance to interview Tom Jones, now that’s something different.

Sir Tom fits into the category of proper superstar, a legend many would say.

Though I must admit when he sat next to me mopping his brow with his hankie and talking, a bit like my dad, in his Welsh accent, I found it hard to believe I was in the company of one of music’s biggest stars.

He was very “normal”, and didn’t have any of the “diva” that is often the bane of the celebrity interview.

They were all very pleasant for that matter, ok they had a product to sell, but I didn’t get the sense of irritation I often get when speaking to some “celebrities” about their last-ditch attempt to revive a flagging career by eating meal worms in the jungle.

The interviews were conducted round-table style - six journalists sit at a table and the stars are brought round by the PRs, it is a bit of a competition between the reporters as to who can get the best line out of them.

There were some tasty tidbits, but as I said, we were sworn to secrecy until next month.

The Voice, BBC1, starts in March - you heard it here first.