Cowell 'puzzled' by BBC's The Voice

Simon Cowell has criticised talent shows which are a "bad copy" of The X Factor and said he was "puzzled" by BBC show The Voice.

The showbiz supremo, who described himself as "lucky, hard-working and weird", said: "I think this business does make you a little bit odd."

In an interview for Radio 4's Today Programme, he said: "I see a lot of shows trying to rip us off and you can't do that.

"If you try and rip somebody off it always looks like a bad copy."

Asked if he was talking about The Voice, which has been pitched against Britain's Got Talent in the schedules, he laughed and said: "That show puzzles me because it starts off by saying 'right it's all about the voice' so my first thought is why is this not on radio.

"What's the point of looking at them?"

He said the show, which features Jessie J and Tom Jones as coaches, was "the same as X Factor, they've got dancers behind them, they've got graphics, lights, same show".

Simon admitted he had worried about the future of his shows at one point when they failed to find credible acts.

He said: "We had this conversation about two or three years ago where, with the exception of Leona Lewis, I was getting nervous and I thought if we don't find real stars from these shows after all the razzmatazz, all the promises, all the hype and you end with somebody whose going to put out a single and then go away it's a waste of time, a waste of my time and everyone's time."