The Piano: All about new Channel 4 show with Mika and Claudia Winkleman

Claudia Winkleman is to host a new music-based TV show on Channel 4.

Called The Piano, the series will also feature classical pianist Lang Lang and platinum selling pop superstar Mika.

Each episode will see talented amateur pianists invited to play on public pianos in London St Pancras, Leeds, Glasgow and Birmingham train stations, sharing their stories and music with the great British public.

Secretly watching on, Lang Lang and Mika will pick one player from each train station to perform in a special final at The Royal Festival Hall in front of an audience of thousands.

A teaser shares: “From nonagenarians who have been playing for eighty years to twelve-year-olds who have never played in pubic before, those who taught themselves to play the classics in lockdown to players who feel the music, composing pieces about their life experiences and someone with no sight who against all the odds has mastered Chopin, commuters in train stations across the country will be stopped in their tracks as heartfelt, emotional and uplifting performances take place.”

The Piano starts on Channel 4 from Wednesday, 15 February at 9PM.

Shaminder Nahal, Head of Specialist Factual at Channel 4, said: “It’s so thrilling to be celebrating such an array of incredibly talented pianists – many of them self-taught – in such an emotional and uplifting series.

“Claudia Winkelman, the fantastic judges Mika and Lang Lang, and the brilliant team from Love, take us on a journey through London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Leeds – and finally the Royal Festival Hall, creating a joyful and moving portrait of Britain, full of humanity, surprises, and the transformative power of piano-playing.”

Richard McKerrow, executive producer at programme makers Love Productions, added: “The making of this brand-new series, The Piano has been a creatively exhilarating and uplifting experience. We’ve been able to work with such a broad and diverse range of pianists bravely expressing themselves in such a passionate heartfelt way on public pianos in railway stations across the country.

“Looked after so generously by Claudia Winkleman and observed by the extraordinary Mika and Lang Lang, this remarkable trio bring a magical, soulful quality to this television series which we hope feels rare and unusual.”