Chesterfield teenager is chosen by McFly singers to coach in run-up to battle round of The Voice UK

Jack Algar performed The House of the Rising Sun, wowing judges Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones from McFly who spun their chairs round to signal that they wanted to coach him.

Tom said to Jack: "You are exactly what me and Danny said we’ve been looking for since the first time we came on here. We haven’t found it until right now.”

In the episode which was broadcast on Saturday and filmed several months ago, Jack told the celebrity panel of judges – including will.i.am, Sir Tom Jones and Kelly Rowland – that he was 17 and had been playing guitar for three or four years. Jack said: “My mate asked me if I wanted to join a band and I said yes but I didn’t know how to play or sing but I wanted to be in a band so I said yeah and picked up a guitar."

Jack is studying A-levels in biology, chemistry, physics and maths at Chesterfield College and hopes to do medicine at university.

Tom Fletcher told him: “You remind me so much of when I first met Danny – we were both at college doing our A-levels – but what was amazing when I first heard Danny sing was that his voice sounded so much older than he was. It was like he had lived this life that was coming through him in his voice. That’s what I think we had with you.” Danny said: “What we’ve got here is somebody ready to go, ready to learn and I think this is going to be pretty cool. Welcome to Team Tom and Danny.”

Jack’s mum and dad Claire and Adam were interviewed backstage before Jack’s performance. Claire said: “I find myself watching him playing thinking ‘wow, he’s only 17 and he’s never had a singing lesson in his life. He’s so wonderfully talented.” Adam said: “When we see Jack perform, it’s incredible pride.”

Their son will now face the battle rounds of the competition where coaches pair up artists from their own teams to sing the same song together in a vocal duet. After the performance, the coaches must choose only one artist from the pair to advance. Other coaches can save losing contestants and bring them onto their own teams.

Two battle rounds are expected to be broadcast in early October following six weeks of blind auditions.

The Voice UK is broadcast on Saturdays at 7pm on ITV with catch-up available on ITVX.