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The Piano (TV series)
British talent show competition From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Piano is a televised British music competition show that has aired on Channel 4 since 15 February 2023. It is hosted by Claudia Winkleman with Lang Lang and Mika as judges in the first two series, before Lang was replaced by Jon Batiste.[1]
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In July 2023 the programme was recommissioned for a second and third series, a Christmas special and a documentary on the first series winner Lucy Illingworth.[2]
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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.[3]
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.[4]
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Series overview
Series 1 (2023)
The first series aired from 15 February to 15 March 2023 and ran for five episodes. The heats were held at London St Pancras, Leeds, Glasgow Central and Birmingham New Street with the final being held at the Royal Festival Hall. The series winner was Lucy Illingworth, a young blind girl who is also autistic and non-verbal. Illingworth went on to perform at the Coronation Concert and a commemoration of Fanny Waterman.[5][6][7]
Series 2 (2024)
The second series aired from 28 April to 9 June 2024.[8] The heats took place at Manchester Piccadilly, Cardiff Central, Edinburgh Waverley, London Victoria and Liverpool Lime Street. The series was won by Brad Kella.
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Reception
The Guardian awarded the first episode four stars out of five, asking if it could be considered "Bake Off for pianos".[3][9][4] The Mirror considered the show to be "brilliantly simple" and life-affirming.[10] In contrast, the i considered the show to be "aimless fluff".[11]
International versions
Fremantle holds international format rights.[12] They have sold it to broadcasters in Australia,[13] Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and Spain.[14]
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References
External links
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