The Piano (TV series)

The Piano is a televised British music competition show that aired on Channel 4 since 15 February 2023 and is hosted by Claudia Winkleman with Lang Lang and Mika as judges.

On 14 July 2023, it was announced that the show was recommissioned for a second and third series alongside a Christmas special and a documentary on the first series winner Lucy Illingworth.

Format
Amateur musicians are invited to publicly perform on street pianos in the concourses of major UK railway stations. Performed pieces include classical standards, contemporary chart hits, and original compositions, with some performers accompanying themselves with vocals.

For the first series the competitive element was kept secret from the performers — the judges observe the performances from a nearby room, selecting one performer from each location to perform at an end-of-series concert at the Royal Festival Hall.

Series 1 (2023)
The first series aired from 15 February to 15 March 2023 and ran for five episodes. The heats were held at St Pancras railway station, Leeds railway station, Glasgow Central railway station and Birmingham New Street railway station with the final being held at the Royal Festival Hall. The series winner was Lucy Illingworth, a young blind girl who is also autistic. Illingworth went on to perform at the Coronation Concert and a commemoration of Fanny Waterman.

Series 2 (2024)
The second series aired from 28 April 2024. The first heat was at Manchester Piccadilly. New episodes are airing weekly on Sunday evenings on Channel 4.

Reception
The Guardian awarded the first episode four stars out of five and asking if it could be considered "Bake Off for pianos". The Mirror considered the show to be "brilliantly simple" and life-affirming. In contrast, the i considered the show to be "aimless fluff".