Claudia Winkleman, known for her quick wit, self-deprecating humour and engaging charm, is one of the UK’s most loved TV presenters. However, while filming the new series of The Piano, she confesses that her usually cool exterior fell apart as she was overwhelmed by emotion.
“I cried three times,” Claudia reveals. “The finalists are unbelievable.” Channel 4’s Bafta-nominated and Broadcast Award-winning show is back for a third series, with five new locations, including Heathrow Airport. There’s another significant change too – multi-Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste replaces pianist Lang Lang. According to fellow mentor and Grace Kelly singer Mika, the shake-up has breathed new life into the show. “It has a different energy this year than the past two years,” Mika shares.
“It’s obviously because Jon is around and it’s taken a whole new shape in terms of the discussions and the considerations. Introducing someone else into the show was a really good disturbance, a really great exercise – emotionally, stylistically, culturally. Some things would clash, some things were in complete harmony, and it’s all in there.”
Claudia concurs and admits she was so captivated by Jon she found herself absent-mindedly stroking his shoulder before asking him, “Is it too much? We were in awe. I just stared at him. At one point he was like, ‘What are you doing?'”
Despite having collaborated with music legends like Stevie Wonder, Prince and Lenny Kravitz, Jon confessed that filming the emotional show was “overwhelming”.
“It’s going to change so many people’s lives who we don’t even know,” he shared. “It’s like, ‘Did we make the right choice?'”
“We think about it for days,” Mika chimes in. Although Claudia is the host of the show, she revealed that she doesn’t interfere with the musical choices. “It’s up to them. It’s their concert, their choice.”
Filming at Heathrow Airport brought a thrilling twist to the show, but it wasn’t without its hurdles. “They almost kicked us out, multiple times,” Mika jokes. “They tell you what to do all the time! So many rules!”
“It was so much fun going through security,” Claudia added. She doesn’t play favourites, but she confessed that one pianist at London’s Liverpool Street Station left her awestruck after auditioning on her daughter’s recommendation, despite never having watched the show.
“Somebody who’s extraordinary, who’s going to play in the concert, had no idea about the show,” Claudia reveals. “Her daughter just drove her to the station and she’s phenomenal.”
After discovering talent in the stations, Jon and Mika select several contestants to mentor – and were taken aback by how much they improved with practice.
“There are some astonishing transformations that have happened in a few weeks,” Jon expressed. “It’s just like, ‘Whoa, I heard you two months ago in a train station!'”
This year’s contestants are more diverse than ever, with a wide range of musical styles, backgrounds, and ages, but their shared passion unites them.
Jon remarked on the show’s deep emotional connection to music, “You have to really love the piano to be on this show. The way that we have passion for the instrument beyond music, I think it’s changed our lives.”
Despite Claudia’s high-profile roles on Strictly Come Dancing and The Traitors, it’s The Piano that holds a unique place in her affections.
“The people who make the show make it beautifully,” she fondly noted. “There are no lights. There is no tripod. They’re just in the station and they’re documentary makers at heart. It’s not like any other TV show. The people who make it are the stars.”
Even with all the musical talent surrounding her, Claudia remains humorously modest about her own abilities. “I can’t do anything,” she said with a laugh.
“I once sang happy birthday to Lang Lang and he made me sign a contract saying I would never sing in his presence again. I sang with Jon the first time we met – he now has a restraining order against me!”