Kumazzz Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 The Piano trailer from 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 Here is an interview with Claudia Winkleman, she talking a lot ! The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/apr/19/claudia-winkleman-on-swearing-success-and-secrets Fri 19 Apr 2024 13.00 BST Claudia Winkleman on swearing, success and secrets: ‘I had to sign a contract promising not to sing’ With three hit shows – Strictly, The Traitors and the returning The Piano – Claudia Winkleman is TV’s hottest presenter. She talks about being tone deaf, being a style icon … and why she’s allergic to praise Claudia Winkleman is convinced she gave the ick to Mika and Lang Lang, her co-stars on Channel 4 hit The Piano. “They’re so alarmed by my eating habits,” she says. “My mic’s always on and all they can hear is me munching beef-flavoured Hula Hoops.” To illustrate the point, she launches into an uncanny impression of loud crisp-crunching noises echoing down a lapel mic. Winkleman recently wrapped filming a new run of the ivory-tinkling talent search, which has meant living off train station food. “I look up each one’s eateries in advance,” she admits. “I adore a Greggs and I’ve fallen in love with Upper Crust. They do a cheddar baguette that’s almost erotic. Obviously, I always have a Burger King. A Murder King, I call it. You know you’re in a different class of station if there’s a Leon. In Liverpool, they’ve got Krispy Kreme. I crashed and burned by 9.48am because I made the mistake of scoffing a tray of Original Glazed for breakfast. I was like: ‘Guys, I need a nap.’ The producer went: ‘Can somebody get Claud a coffee? And no more sugar!’ OK, boss, fair enough.” Originally pitched as “a show about talent but not a talent show”, The Piano tapped into the street piano phenomenon by inviting undiscovered amateurs to publicly perform at mainline stations around the UK. The result was a life-affirming smash. Now it’s back – and nobody is more surprised than its host. “I presumed it was a one-series deal because Mika and Lang Lang were hiding – nobody knew they were secretly being watched by these two maestros,” says Winkleman. “But we realised the magic wasn’t the big reveals, it was the stories. Reaction to the first series totally took us by surprise. My mum [journalist Eve Pollard] would phone me crying after each episode. She says it makes her feel better and fuller. It made friends of mine vow to learn an instrument, even if it’s the triangle. The big change this time is that the concert finale is going to be ticketed, with all the proceeds going towards buying pianos for train stations and hospital receptions. It’s the loveliest thing.” The Piano is proof of the instrument’s healing powers. “People get through tough times by playing piano,” says Winkleman. “At Manchester Piccadilly, we met an 80-year-old man with dementia who played a beautiful original composition for his wife. Their love story is tremendously moving. A brilliant guy at Victoria Station told me: ‘I can’t say how I feel – but I can play it.’ An amazing woman had just retired after decades working in the NHS and spent her pension on a grand piano because it’s what she needed in her life. It didn’t even fit in her house. Her husband had to knock down walls.” Is she ever tempted to join in? “Absolutely not. I’m so unmusical, I once sang to Mika and Lang Lang and they made me sign a piece of paper promising I’d never do it again.” The debut run was won by blind, neurodivergent teenager Lucy Illingworth, who stole the nation’s hearts with her virtuoso ability. The scene when she stunned Leeds station by playing Chopin was Bafta-nominated. Is there a comparable discovery in the new series? “Lucy was one in a gazillion,” says Winkleman. “You could never recreate that but there are more moments that took our breath away. One unbelievable boy in Liverpool brought Lime Street to a standstill. A crowd of 700 gathered. People missed their trains. There are certain times when somebody plays and the whole atmosphere on the concourse changes.” She pauses and adds delightedly: “I’ve never used the word concourse in conversation before! Love that.” As presenter of three of the best-loved shows on primetime – The Piano joining The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing in her enviable portfolio – is Winkleman on a hot streak? “Let’s not even discuss that because I’m very superstitious,” she says. “Now you’ve said it, I’m going to have to knock on wood, pull my ear and pinch my stomach. Any success has nothing to do with me.” Come on, it’s got something to do with you. “No, genuinely absolutely nothing. I don’t say that in a faux self-deprecating way. The shows are amazing. The people who work on them are geniuses. I mean, I turn up on time. Otherwise I’m incredibly lucky.” Does she consciously play a different role on each? “Hopefully I’m still me on all of them. On The Piano, my only job is to chat and make the pianists feel comfortable enough to showcase their talent. On Strictly, I’m a cheerleader for the dancers, handing round sweets and saying: ‘The scores are in.’ And on The Traitors, I scare myself. I’m cold and aloof, but a lot of that is because I’m terrified of blowing secrets. I can’t chat too much to the players or I’ll tell them everything.” The Traitors became a bona fide national obsession in January. What were her highlights? “So many! I loved Paul’s bow. He did it beautifully. That Round Table where the Faithful found him out was electric. They celebrated so wildly, chairs were thrown. Me and the crew came out physically shaking. And the final was so tense I couldn’t watch. I had to keep looking down.” How about the gloriously camp funeral for Diane, poisoned by a chalice of sparkling rosé? “All I asked for was a veil. I was like: ‘Guys, I need to go to John Lewis.’ And when Ross [secretly her son] laid a rose on Diane – extraordinary.” I mention the flourish with which Winkleman closed the coffin lid. “I don’t know what comes over me. Up in the beautiful Scottish Highlands, not going home at night, nothing breaks the seal. I’m trapped in the snow globe of Traitors World. My kids, who are the love of my life, phone me and I’m like: ‘Can’t talk now, I’m going into the conclave.’ It reaches the stage where I seriously ask for an owl. I get lost in it.” A talking point came when she called out the Traitors for repeatedly recruiting men. “Maybe I shouldn’t have done but I just had to say it. I was like: ‘Come on, boys, what you need here is a really smart woman,’ but they were threatened by them.” The castle-based franchise has entered the cultural conversation to the extent that the last two Comic Relief telethons have featured Traitors spoofs, with Suranne Jones and Dawn French playing Winkleman. “Both were utterly brilliant,” she cackles. “I wish I looked like Suranne, and Dawn was my teenage hero. I still can’t believe she wore my fringe and opened it like a curtain.” 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 (edited) Mika and Claudia Wincleman on BBC The One Show https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001yc2y 19/04/2024 Thanks a million for the VIDEO files @Nessaja and @jajinka5 Both of you are STAR !! 9 hours ago, Kumazzz said: BBC The One Show ( X ) Allow this duo to get you in the weekend mood on #TheOneShow! @ClaudiaWinkle and @mikasounds join us to chat about the new series of #ThePiano Do you have a question for them? Email theoneshow@bbc.co.uk or comment below IG story QUESTIONS -- https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007tcw7/contact BBC ONE https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001yc2y 19/04/2024 The One Show Claudia Winkleman, Mika, Steve Backshall and Paula Radcliffe join Alex Jones and Roman Kemp on the sofa. 1 hour ago, Nessaja said: I was able to record it Here is the part where they talk about The Piano The One Show BBC - 20240419.mp4 199.29 MB · 0 downloads 1 hour ago, jajinka5 said: I tried to cut the video where Mika and Claudia were.... lv_0_20240419204546.mp4 mikainstagram stories X Edited April 19 by Kumazzz 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Ko Kolkowska Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 Last tickets for The Piano available here (only last row in the circle). https://factoryinternational.org/whats-on/the-piano/29291/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyLove_CJ Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 Just caught up with The One Show now, nearly had a heart attack when they talked about filming the final for The Piano and Mika said "yes, tomorrow", NO, IT'S DEFINITELY SUNDAY!!! My anxious brain had to triple check the venue website and my tickets just to be sure. Mika please don't do that to me! (He either got the date wrong by accident or he might have meant rehearsals, either way I'm stressed enough without having the date being wrong!). Anyway... lovely interview and so good to actually see him there in the studio. I love that he couldn't stop smiling! Something he said really touched me too, "You make music to say things you can't say with words.", I don't make music but I do play songs as a way to express myself, as I find that difficult to do with words. One of my favourite quotes is "When words fail, music speaks." ❤ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlotteL Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 5 minutes ago, TinyLove_CJ said: (He either got the date wrong by accident or he might have meant rehearsals, either way I'm stressed enough without having the date being wrong!). I noticed that too! Is the one show live? Maybe he thought it was being pre-recorded for the day after and he had to pretend it was already saturday?! Or he's just as confused about his own schedule as we are, that's entirely possible I think. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyLove_CJ Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 1 minute ago, CharlotteL said: Is the one show live? Yes it is. 1 minute ago, CharlotteL said: Or he's just as confused about his own schedule as we are, that's entirely possible I think. Knowing Mika, this is probably more likely! 😅 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilla Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 Hello! Sorry, do you know when it willl avaible in Chanel 4? (I searched in the chat, and in Internet, but couldn't find it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlotteL Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 6 minutes ago, Lilla said: Hello! Sorry, do you know when it willl avaible in Chanel 4? (I searched in the chat, and in Internet, but couldn't find it) The first episode airs next sunday, 28th april, 9pm on channel 4 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilla Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 Thank you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted April 22 Author Share Posted April 22 TV 24 https://tv24.co.uk/p/the-piano-season-2-episode-1-qdqqrr The Piano Series 2 Episode 1 Claudia Winkleman, Mika, and Lang Lang return to unearth more of the UK's most exciting amateur pianists, starting at Manchester Piccadilly station, where they discover a classically trained boxer and an 80-year-old romantic who breaks their hearts. Original air date 2024-04-28 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted April 22 Author Share Posted April 22 Mancunian Matters https://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/news/22042024-watch-the-piano-from-channel-4-is-back-with-a-celebration-in-manchester-arndale/ 22 April 2024 WATCH: The Piano from Channel 4 is back with a celebration in Manchester Arndale Channel 4 installed a giant seven-metre piano in Manchester Arndale on the weekend to celebrate the second series of its talent show, The Piano, hosted by Claudia Winkleman and featuring music stars Mika and Lang Lang. Famous faces from Manchester and beyond joined members of the public in attempting to play tunes with their feet on a seven-metre piano. Joining the fun were media personality Christine McGuinness, Love Island All Stars winner Molly Smith, Hollyoaks actress Jorgie Porter, Celebrity Big Brother winner David Potts, media personality Scott Thomas and The Traitors runner-up Jaz Singh. The community had a blast with the oversized piano, with a few individuals showcasing their improvisational skills. Anthony Thomas from Gorton, aged 43, started playing piano 15 years ago: “I saw the first season of The Piano, and it blew me away. “Everyone is talking about Lucy, and she is amazing. “It blew me away to see somebody learn in a completely different way than everybody else. “That show is fantastic; it optimises the piano to no end.” Performer Danny Wilsher, who had appeared in the first series of The Piano, collaborated with Jaz Singh, further enriching the musical experience with their dynamic performance in the heart of Manchester in the weekend. The Piano returns to Channel 4 for a second series on Sunday, 28th April. Claudia Winkleman, world-renowned pianist Lang Lang, and international chart-topper Mika are again looking for talented pianists who display their talents on pianos at train stations across the UK, and they will have a chance to perform in a concert at Aviva Studios in Manchester. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Ko Kolkowska Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 A short interview filmed in Liverpool. We spoke to the stars of hit TV show The Piano.mp4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted April 24 Author Share Posted April 24 A lot of "The Piano" articles on Magazines and Papers ! Daily Mail Weekend Magazine 20 Apr 2024 On 4/20/2024 at 2:45 PM, Kumazzz said: Daily Mail Weekend Magazine 20 Apr 2024 Pressreader https://pressreader.com/article/281543705972610 WEB https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-13314503/Claudia-Winkleman-Lang-Lang-Mika-Pianos-success-took-surprise-amateur-musicians-stories-make-heartwarming.html INSTAGRAM ( pics ) https://www.instagram.com/p/C58vE_SoBfn/ INSTAGRAM ( video ) https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5-ZXFuI1ld/ We thought it was a charming one-off... HOW WRONG WE WERE! Claudia Winkleman, Lang Lang and Mika on how The Piano’s success took them by surprise – and why the amateur musicians’ stories make it so heartwarming Claudia Winkleman has spent much of this year crossing her fingers. ‘Or double-crossing fingers, if that’s a thing?’ she muses. However you describe it, she was doing it in January ahead of the return of the BBC1 cult reality show The Traitors, and she’s doing it again as she awaits series two of Channel 4’s music competition show The Piano, on which she also plays host (albeit minus her signature cloak). Hence the endless double-crossing of fingers. ‘Obviously the first time something goes out you really want people to like it,’ says the 52year-old presenter. ‘Then when they do and it goes out again you don’t want to let them down.’ What’s more – as with The Traitors – she had no expectation that The Piano, which scoured the UK to find our best amateur pianists, would be anything more than what she calls a ‘charming, lovely oneoff’, something confirmed by her colleague, singer-songwriter Mika, who is a judge on the show. ‘She said it 37 times or so when we were filming first time round,’ he laughs. ‘But to be fair we all said it.’ The show, which featured amateur musicians publicly performing on street pianos on the concourses of major UK railway stations, blissfully unaware that their performances were being secretly judged by Mika and the virtuoso concert pianist Lang Lang, was certainly a surprise hit, pulling in an average of 2.7 million viewers per episode. The judges then selected one performer from each location to play at an end-of-series concert at the Royal Festival Hall, where 13-year-old pianist Lucy, who is blind and autistic, was anointed overall winner. In a nutshell, that’s it: no record deals, no tour dates and none of the razzmatazz that accompanies other big talent show contests. And that, says 40-year-old Mika (he was born Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr, but is known by his mother’s nickname for him), is precisely the point. ‘It isn’t a traditional talent show. If anything it’s the antitalent show. People don’t come on to seek fame and fortune, it’s not about becoming a star for 15 minutes or, “We’ll get you a record deal.” And that opens the door to a whole other world of stories, people like Lucy who’d never dare present themselves on a conventional talent show. That’s what makes it so wonderful.’ It’s little surprise that Lucy’s original audition has been nominated for the Memorable Moment Award at this year’s TV BAFTAS. But there is no getting away from the fact that second time around the element of mystery has gone. While in the first series participants were unaware that two world-class musicians were watching and judging from a nearby booth, anyone strolling up to the piano this time will know. Doesn’t that mean a whole new raft of people just there to mug for the cameras? Not so, the host and judges insist. ‘It hasn’t lost anything,’ says Lang Lang, 41, who has carved out time in his frenetic global touring timetable for our Weekend photoshoot: he was performing at the Colosseum in Rome the previous evening, and at Edinburgh Castle the night before that. ‘The only change is that sometimes we pop out and say hi, or, “The left hand is not good, play it again.” But the people giving it a try are doing just that. They’re not there for the cameras.’ Claudia agrees. ‘It has kept that lovely sweetness about it,’ she says. ‘It’s not showbizzy.’ And who can argue with her, given that whether the team are in Glasgow or Godalming, the backdrop is a railway concourse and a sandwich bar chain. ‘We’re usually between an Upper Crust and a Costa, people are running to get a train, a baby’s crying,’ says Claudia, adding that she often has to hold someone’s shopping and coat when they spontaneously decide to tickle the ivories. ‘And the Tannoy doesn’t stop. That’s the main challenge actually, especially when there are an awful lot of station stops.’ ‘The Tannoy is the bane of Claudia’s life,’ laughs Mika. ‘That’s one incredible pleasure that Lang Lang and I have sitting in our booth: we get to watch Claudia Winkleman having screaming arguments with a woman on a Tannoy. She doesn’t like being spoken over. Oh, and she sneezes like a whoopee cushion on steroids.’ ‘I do,’ acknowledges Claudia. They all hoot with laughter, a reminder of the easy chemistry between a trio who, prior to the previous series, had never met and were basically put together on day one of filming by producers hoping for the best. It’s a gamble that clearly paid off. ‘We fell in love, thank goodness,’ Tannoys are the bane of Claudia’s life. She has screaming arguments with them says Claudia, recalling how the trio bonded over baguettes from a station sandwich bar after the first morning filming. ‘She loves a tuna baguette,’ says Mika of Claudia, who says he’s more of a ‘Pret salad or soup’ man. ‘We blended from the very beginning, it’s a real friendship,’ says Lang Lang, who blew the other two away when he played for them for the first time – post baguettes. ‘You never forget, once you’ve heard him play,’ says Claudia. ‘It will always stay with me.’ Lang Lang, in turn, testifies to Claudia’s ‘extraordinary ease’ with people, and to Mika’s cleverness. ‘He knows everything,’ he confides. The musicians certainly bring different experiences to the table. One’s a Chinese virtuoso who gave his first public recital aged five, the other’s a Lebanese-born, self-taught, platinumalbum-selling artist whose family had to flee their war-torn homeland. ‘I’ve been playing piano my whole life, but I don’t read music,’ says Mika, whose hit single Grace Kelly was the third best-selling in the UK in 2007, and sat at No 1 for five weeks. ‘I play by ear, so I’m an example that you can play really simply, and it can change your life. I always say that the piano gave me my voice.’ Mika wrote his first song aged seven when living in Paris. When the family relocated to London for his father’s work, the chipboard piano they had rented from a local Parisian company, and which the company gave to them when it went bankrupt, was one of the few things they brought. Now homed at his cottage on the south coast, it is still his working piano. ‘My mother thought I was out of my mind, but I painted it white when we arrived in London, and I still have it. It’s in a cottage outside of Hastings.’ Lang Lang, by contrast, was given a piano at the age of two by his father, who played the erhu (a Chinese fiddle), and started lessons at three, leading to that recital aged five. ‘I loved being on stage, the lighting, the focusing of the moment and of course the tension,’ he says. ‘When you sense everyone is listening to you it creates some kind of magic. It’s like the world stops, but they’re breathing with you.’ His talent was prodigious – at 13 he was performing as a soloist with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra – but it also went hand in hand with phenomenal amounts of work. ‘We all need to sacrifice at a certain level; as a kid I probably suffered more than the regular kid because they don’t need to concentrate six hours a day,’ he says. ‘But the reward is good; once you’re successful you’re travelling around the world.’ Even today, Lang Lang never goes longer than two days without playing as his fingers start to seize up. ‘It’s OK if I don’t play one or two days, but after that the hands feel very wrong,’ he says. Of course, Lang Lang’s mastery is some way from people strolling up to a station piano, but as Mika says, that’s the point. Calling it ‘the ultimate democratic instrument’, he says the piano’s beauty is it is for allcomers. ‘We easily forget the impact the piano has had on our culture,’ he says. ‘It’s as appropriate in a church as it is in a pub, and it revolutionised music. It was so common to see pianos in people’s living rooms, and almost every pub in the UK had a piano, but most have disappeared.’ Yet the public’s love for the instrument remains robust, if the numbers who want to display their skills on the show is anything to go by. ‘What I love is that nobody knows what’s going to come next,’ says Lang Lang. ‘You might have a pianist who looks like some urban hip-hop guy, but he starts playing Ravel. And then there might be a lady who looks so classical, and she’s doing Alicia Keys. You can’t judge by their look.’ Nor can you fault their ambition: no Elton or Billy Joel crowd-pleasers here, with many playing their own compositions. ‘It’s bold – you’re not tapping into something people know,’ says Claudia, who admits she can’t play a note. ‘But they see it as their one shot, and they want to play something that means something to them.’ Many are self-taught. ‘I remember a guy called Jared who was a truck mechanic, and he just came in his lunch break,’ recalls Claudia. ‘His hands still had oil on them, and he put down his toolbox and he was a bit unsure. But then, oh my goodness!’ There are similar ‘goosebump’ moments in the new series, according to the trio – including one contender in Glasgow who caught everyone by surprise, although more than that they won’t say. Now the judges have been ‘outed’, they are not beyond intervening if they think someone isn’t doing themselves any favours. ‘Someone played ABBA’S The Winner Takes It All in the most astonishingly depressing, sad version. I had to ask her to play something else,’ says Mika. ‘I said, “Honestly, you’re going to regret this for the rest of your life.”’ Is there something specific they’re looking for? ‘Pure talent,’ says Lang Lang. ‘It doesn’t need to be technically perfect, but no matter how amateur or professional they are, we want to see the real talent shine.’ Mika points out that Lang Lang can be quite strict about certain technicalities. ‘But that’s normal,’ he says. ‘I mean, he’s been world class since he was ten.’ There are gaps in his knowledge, however. ‘We’re trying to teach him lyrics to songs he doesn’t know,’ says Mika. That includes Sophie Ellis-bextor’s hit Murder On The Dance Floor, which popped up during filming. ‘They enjoyed that,’ testifies Lang Lang. ‘I’ll admit there were a lot of songs I didn’t know. So it’s been a fun education.’ "Tannoys are the bane of Claudia’s life. She has screaming arguments with them" - Mika INSTAGRAM ( pics ) https://www.instagram.com/p/C58vE_SoBfn/ INSTAGRAM ( video ) https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5-ZXFuI1ld/ The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Review Saturday 20 Apr 2024 On 4/20/2024 at 3:56 PM, Kumazzz said: The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Review Saturday 20 Apr 2024 Pressreader https://pressreader.com/article/281900188261304 WEB https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2024/04/20/the-piano-channel-4-lang-mika-claudia-winkleman-interview/ ‘The good pianists are like a magnet’ Judges Lang Lang and Mika explain why station-set talent show The Piano has captured our hearts Walk into any major train station in Britain and you will no doubt, among the hustle and bustle, bells and whistles, hear the sound of someone tinkling the ivories. Sixteen years ago, the British artist Luke Jerram launched his Play Me, I’m Yours installation, putting public pianos into railway stations across the world. They are now as familiar a site as ticket barriers and pigeons. At Liverpool Lime Street station on a chilly late February afternoon, Claudia Winkleman is doing the two-step to Elton John’s Rocket Man. Alongside, three-year-old Harry is swinging a Home Bargains shopping bag and copying her every move. Alas, this is not an audition for Strictly Come Dancing Juniors. Winkleman has traded stilettos for Dr Martens and is encouraging amateurs of a very different disposition. Watching intently from on high in the first-class lounge are classical concert pianist Lang Lang and polyglot pop star Mika, the secret “judges”. We are all gathered for the filming of the second series of The Piano, a talent search in Britain’s railway stations for the next top amateur pianists, which culminates in a grand concert finale. The programme comes from Love Productions, the makers of The Great British Bake Off, and has been a huge success for Channel 4, gaining an average of 2.7million viewers, becoming its best-rating new format since 2017, winning a Broadcast Award for Best Original Programme and being nominated for the Memorable Moment Award at next month’s TV Baftas. “I know nothing about music,” says host Winkleman, who conducts the pre-performance chats. “But what I find emotional is standing next to the players’ families. There was a girl playing a Tori Amos song – I turned to her mother and tears were streaming down her face … I was gone.” “My favourite part is when someone misses a train,” she continues. Indeed, young Harry had been shopping with his grandmother when the pair met 20-year-old tracksuit-clad Dan, the Rocket Man, only moments earlier and decided to stay for the afternoon to support him. In front of me, a couple, arm-in-arm, sway in time to the music, while a lady to my left tells me that she’ll “get the next train” because a smartly dressed elderly gentleman playing a jazz standard reminds her of her father. “If he was here now, he’d be up there on that piano for sure – he used to play anything and we would crowd round and listen. A bit like we all are now,” she says, just as a crane camera swoops over our heads and a make-up artist quickly combs Winkleman’s trademark fringe. Another member of the crew wipes some pigeon poo off the gleaming Steinway. “Being in the station is fascinating,” adds former child prodigy Lang Lang, who has performed with major orchestras around the world since the 1990s and last week received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “The good pianists are like a magnet and crowds flock to watch and listen. If you are in a concert hall, you don’t see this effect.” Last year, blind, autistic and nonverbal 13-year-old Lucy Illingworth blew everyone away at Leeds train station when she played Chopin’s Nocturne in B-flat minor. “It’s unbelievable that she can play this piece,” Lang Lang remarked at the time. “How – how – does she study? This is incredible.” Lucy went on to win the competition. “You have to be an open person to appreciate classical music,” explains Lang Lang. “Because sometimes you do not know a culture, but through a great work you can understand. It’s like reading Shakespeare – as a Chinese person, you feel the same as the British on a human level.” At one point in his career, Lang Lang was performing up to 140 concerts a year. “There is a huge cultural difference between the places that I visit, but people are much friendlier to musicians. I met Her Majesty [the late Queen Elizabeth II] here in Liverpool for the Royal Variety Show in 2007. She told me that my hands moved very fast and that she would have liked to have had my fast fingers – she was very humorous.” The 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, at which a 26-year-old Lang Lang was the star performer, was a great opportunity to showcase classical music, he explains. “Musicians can only do so much. We are not politicians. We want to make the world more relaxed and peaceful, and more uniform. I am a messenger of peace,” he says. He’s referring to being awarded the role of United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2013 – an honour that he shares with Yo-Yo Ma, Michael Douglas, Stevie Wonder and Charlize Theron – for promoting global education through his International Music Foundation. “We don’t have a Lucy this year, but we do have a lot of good international talent,” he reveals. The wildest thing he’s seen so far this series is a baroque-style medley of Lady Gaga and Billy Joel. “There are some songs that I have no clue about, but Mika knows them all. He’s like my Wikipedia.” Your Mikapedia, perhaps? Mika enjoyed a giddy period of fame in the UK with his 2007 debut album, Life in Cartoon Motion, which spawned the hit singles Grace Kelly and Big Girl. He went on to judge The X Factor in Italy and The Voice in France. He is, however, keen to outline the purpose of this show. “The DNA of The Piano is that it’s an anti-talent show. We are not trying to make a star and no one is there to further their career. You can’t take part if you make money out of music in any way,” he explains. “We’re using The Piano to tell stories that would not normally see the light of day.” Mika and Lang Lang are not given any guidance on the participants, who apply online by uploading a video of themselves playing and are then invited to the filmed auditions in the train stations. “It’s up to us,” says Mika. “It’s amazing to see how the collection of people for the final concert came together. It was unintentional that we had three young men (and Lucy) in the end. The guys were all using the piano to help deal with challenges in their lives, whether it was money or mental health issues. It’s important that The Piano has this healing power. And it’s not sad – it’s empowering. It’s not a sob story. They’re playing the s--t out of that piano. The tension is going to be even higher this year because the concert is a real event.” Quite: this time the final, in Manchester, will be ticketed, with the money raised going towards putting new pianos in train stations. There is, of course, a central message to The Piano – that the art of music is universal. But the lack of music education in schools continues to be a worldwide problem. Lang Lang’s music foundation was set up in 2008 and upholds the belief that all children should have access to music education and opportunity, regardless of their background. As of 2024, his Piano Lab lessons feature in four UK state schools, with plans for more. “It’s easier to learn music now there’s all this technology. But it’s a tremendous effort to get it back into schools. There’s a lot of money involved. As musicians, we have to do more to encourage the community to understand that if kids have music education they will do better in other subjects. But we are getting so practical – people ask, ‘Why should I learn music? Does music help me to get more money or a better job?’” Nevertheless, Lang Lang is ever the optimist. “There are a lot of people who have big dreams in life and we are inspired by their talent. The show is a great platform to get to know each other and, despite our differences, find out how similar we are. The piano is the instrument that brings us together.” ‘We’re using The Piano to tell stories that would not normally see the light of day’ Daily Mail Weekend Magazine VIDEO On 4/20/2024 at 5:58 PM, Kumazzz said: Daily Mail Weekend Magazine INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5-ZXFuI1ld/ YouTube SaveIG.App_3350226710663747933.mp4 7.37 MB · 0 downloads Daily Mail Weekend Magazine VIDEO On 4/21/2024 at 8:40 AM, Kumazzz said: Daily Mail Weekend Magazine INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5-ZXFuI1ld/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymailuk/video/7343999771721354529 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymailuk/video/7344012787091311904 Here is a merged video. Thanks a lot for reminding me @Anna Ko Kolkowska BBC One The One Show 19/04/2024 VIDEO On 4/21/2024 at 7:02 PM, Kumazzz said: BBC ONE https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001yc2y 19/04/2024 The One Show YouTube ( 720p HD ) Radio Times On 4/23/2024 at 7:18 PM, Kumazzz said: Radio Times Pressreader https://pressreader.com/article/281801404017769 PDF file ( 6.9 MB ) 2024.04.27_Radio_Times_The_Piano.pdf Page 3 From the Editors THE STORY OF HOW The Piano began life may be apocryphal, but it's worth repeating. A TV executive on his commute walked past an old piano, installed at St Pancras Station to amuse passing passengers, and found the sound of those brave enough to sit on the stool and start playing so uplifting, he decided it must make a television show. That the show then became one of last year's most unlikely hits - and Channel 4's biggest ratings success of recent years - is testament to live music's power to move an audience. Not to mention our love of plucky amateurs ready to have a go at entertaining us that goes back long before TV talent shows such as The Voice and The X Factor. But unlike those shows, the contestants in The Piano had no idea they were part of a competition. They thought they were merely playing for the hell of it, thinking they were being filmed for a documentary about people who play pianos in public spaces for the fleeting entertainment of passers-by. What made the series such a success? In our interview on page 12 The Piano's trio of Claudia Winkleman, Lang Lang and Mika have their say. To their eyes - and ears - the show worked precisely because it didn't set out to entertain using all the usual props of TV entertainment: shiny floors and showbiz glitz twinned with fake pathos and jeopardy. But there may have been another key to its success: the simple joy that music can bring, performed at the highest level or by a tinkler of the bar-room ivories. Last September C4 boss Ian Katz told RT that 2023 spelt the end of mean television. And that he was ready to pronounce a new era of Happy TV. Which may explain why The Piano is back for a second run – especially since he said all this before cycling off to attend a piano lesson. Once you have fallen for The Piano, it's hard to forget it. Tom Loxley & Shem Law Editors, Radio Times Page 4 + 5 Page 12 + 13 Page 15 Page 17 I need to do better' Pianist Lang Lang on his work-life balance - and the magic of Mika Born in China in 1982, Lang Lang started to learn the piano just three years later - and it's been a part of his life ever since. Aged nine, he was dropped by his tutor for having "no talent" and his strict father advised that he take his own life. "We're very good friends now. I've forgiven him for many years already," he says today. Instead of giving up, Lang Lang rose to great heights. Today he's probably the world's most famous pianist, a prodigy who has performed at the White House, the King's Coronation and concert halls around the world. Now aged 41, many credit him with single-handedly creating a new generation of pianists in China, and with his International Music Foundation's Keys of Inspiration programme, he's trying to do the same in the UK and America. Assuming, of course, that he hasn't already found the next big thing while hiding in a train station for Channel 4... THE OVERTURE My first memory is of there being a piano in the house from when I was one. We listened to classical music and Chinese folk music on a videotape cassette and later CDs. My father plays the Chinese violin, which is called the erhu. When I was a kid, it was harder to make friends because I was always practising. CHANGING MY TUNE My life has improved tremendously, which I do appreciate but, honestly, I don't have so much time to feel it. I'm always on the road and focused on how I'm going to get better as a pianist. But I think now that I'm married, with a baby, I have to fly back home more often [he has houses in New York, Paris and Shanghai. An artist's life is very hard to balance. I need to do better. I need to cut some activities. STRIKING A CHORD I knew immediately that we needed The Piano. Shows like that are often core-classical and are very hard for people to watch on television - this is something for everybody. But being on The Piano is quite a different experience for me. I normally have to talk about my new recording or my foundation work, not as a judge, so I'm very happy that I have Mika and Claudia. SINGING FROM THE SAME HYMN SHEET I really love what Mika does. He's a great musician and I have a huge respect for him. This guy is so knowledgeable, I really learnt a lot because his repertoire... honestly, I had no idea. And he's a very lovable person. We became very, very good friends in a short time and it has remained this wonderful friendship. This season the bonds are even closer. And Claudia, too, has this magic that, no matter who she is talking to, in five minutes she is getting that person's entire life story. FACING THE MUSIC In this second series, there were more people sending in their videos and applying to be on it and the quality is very high. Of course, it's hard to match Lucy [who won the first series]. No one can compare to her. But we do have some different talent; some different stories; some different backgrounds. This is not like shooting some other talent competitions where you have to push them many times and re-film- even if we wanted to do a retake, it would not happen. Everything is "in the moment" and very authentic. Page 46 What’s on TV 27 April/3 May, 2024 22 hours ago, Kumazzz said: What’s on TV 27 April/3 May, 2024 PDF file ( 3.2 MB ) 2024.04.24-27_TV_Times_The_Piano.pdf Page 1 Page 3 ENTERTAINMENT The Piano SUNDAY C4 Claudia Winkleman (left), along with Lang Lang and Mika, returns for a new series of The Piano. And it kicks off at Manchester Piccadily Station. So what music can we expect to hear? You’ l have to tune in to find out but it is sure to make your day! See page 12 Page 12 + 13 KEYS to success Claudia Wincleman, Lang Lang and Mika on why their musical talent show hits all the right notes THE PIANO SUNDAY, 9PM, C4 ENTERTAINMENT Liverpool Lime Street Station is bustling with harried commuters, who stop in their tracks when they hear the tinkle of a piano above the blaring tannoy. From the centre of a burgeoning crowd, a fast tempo jazz tune is being belted out and TV Times spots presenter Claudia Winkleman swishing her famous fringe to the beat. We’ve been invited to watch filming for the second series of C4’s hit show The Piano, which stole the nation’s hearts when it debuted last year as budding musicians showcased their skills in UK train stations, unaware that world renowned classical pianist Lang Lang and pop chart-topper Mika were secretly observing. This week, the talent search returns to our screens for a seven-part run, which will see Lang Lang and Mika choose one lucky virtuoso from each station to perform in a special concert at Manchester’s Aviva Studios, with ticket sales helping to fund more pianos in stations across the UK. After a day of performances, we sat down with The Traitors host Claudia, 52, Chinese superstar Lang Lang, 41, and British Lebanese singer-songwriter Mika, 40, to chat about their eagerly-awaited encore… The first outing was such a hit – how does it feel to be back filming the most uplifting programme on TV? MIKA Incredible! We were amazed by the reaction to Manchester talent: Shaun (above) and Emma (right) Series 1, which was a beautiful little project that was shot as more of a documentary. The whole thing has been such an astounding, tender surprise. LANG LANG I knew it was going to be different from other talent shows out there, but I didn’t expect it to be such a success! CLAUDIA It’s just magical. For example, a girl played today and a man was in floods of tears. I assumed he was her dad, so I said, ‘You must be incredibly proud?’ He whispered back, ‘I’ve never met her.’ But she did something that really moved him, and that’s what the show’s about. Now the pianists know that Lang Lang and Mika are watching, has it changed the show at all? CLAUDIA The first series was created with this idea of, ‘What happens when people play the piano and they think no one is watching?’ It was so poetic. But now everyone knows the show, so I’ve been expecting people to turn up in ball gowns! However, they still can’t see Lang Lang and Mika, and the show is shot so subtly and beautifully that it doesn’t feel like a hoo-ha. They just chat to me, then play. MIKA We were worried that something would change with the pianists’ intentions or ambitions because they now know we are hidden away, listening. But we are still seeing extraordinary people who have amazing stories. LANG LANG And if somebody feels special, this time Mika and I can go out to see them to encourage them to do better. Have you seen a higher standard of performances this time? MIKA The standard has gone up, yes, but you never know what’s going to move you. Someone can play Chopin and technically it’s all there, but it might not provoke emotion in me nor in Lang Lang. Then someone can play the most simple triad chords and sing, and it makes people cry. You can’t put your finger on it, but it’s magic. LANG LANG There’s more international music this time, and some places we visit have their traditions and types of music, like Cardiff, where we hear folk music. We see the whole world through the piano in this series. What can you tell us about the final this year? MIKA After the Series 1 final at the Royal Festival Hall in London, we wanted to do something different and more contemporary. Manchester’s Aviva Studios is a new, high-tech venue made for both classical and non-classical music. So we are putting on a real show and people have bought tickets. That must be quite nerve-racking for the finalists… MIKA Like last time, we do mentoring days and full rehearsal days. They’re not going into a brutal, gladiator-style situation. They’re going to do something beautiful, and I’m not allowed to say why, but that’s more important than ever this year. CLAUDIA This will make you feel nauseous, but I’ll say it anyway: Once they join The Piano family, it’s our job to look after them. They all look after each other, which is my favourite thing, but our duty of care is really important because some haven’t even played in stations before, let alone on the stage. They have two of the greatest musicians to hold their hand, too. Claudia, have you been tempted to take up the piano yet? CLAUDIA Oh, I’m not allowed to touch a recorder. I know nothing, honestly. MIKA Yes, she does! The worst singer you’ve ever heard, but… CLAUDIA I’m not even allowed to sing Happy Birthday in my own house! No, I really do know nothing. Somebody played brilliantly the other day, and the crew and I were saying, ‘Yes! Smashed it!’ But Mika and Lang Lang said, ‘Good, but it was in the wrong key.’ So, we absolutely bow to them. MEET THE MAESTROS Four hopefuls to listen out for in the first episode… In this new series, Claudia, Lang Lang and Mika visit busy concourses in Edinburgh, Cardiff, London and Liverpool, but they begin at Manchester Piccadilly, where a young boxer, Ellis, gives a knockout rendition of Chopin’s Ballade No. 4, while drum-and-bass DJ Salome belts out Nina Simone’s Feeling Good. There’s also nine-year-old prodigy Ethan, who wows passers-by with Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20, and Duncan, 80, who is living with dementia and who plays a stunning ‘thank you’ song for his wife, Fran. ‘We’ve got everything this series,’ promises Mika. ‘We’ve got the crazy-young prodigies and players that make 500 people cry in London’s Victoria Station, of all places, and we still see that person who just adores music, shows up terrified, but plays and it’s like magic.’ Page 45 SUNDAY 28 APRIL The search is on for undiscovered piano players 9PM, C4 Budding pianists are tickling the ivories at train stations across the UK once again as C4’s heart-warming show returns for a new seven part series. Claudia Winkleman is back on presenting duties, while adjudicating from a nearby secret location are world-renowned pianist Lang Lang and pop superstar Mika, who will choose their favourite virtuoso from each station to perform in a special concert at Manchester’s Aviva Studios. First up is Manchester Piccadilly, where nine-year-old Ethan stops commuters in their tracks with Chopin’s Nocturne No 20, and divorcee Emma puts her own spin on Abba’s The Winner Takes It All. There won’t be a dry eye in the house! What’s on TV 27 April/3 May, 2024 21 hours ago, Kumazzz said: What’s on TV 27 April/3 May, 2024 PDF file ( 1.9 MB ) 2024.04.27_What_s_on_TV_The_Piano.pdf Page 3 The Piano Sunday, 9pm, C4 Entertainment Claudia Winkleman hosts a second run of the moving talent show, which sees amateur pianists perform at UK train stations for a chance to play at Manchester’s Aviva studios. This first week, Claudia and judges Mika and Lang Lang are at Manchester Piccadilly Station, where they discover a classically trained boxer, a dance DJ with the voice of an angel, and an 80-year-old romantic who breaks their hearts. Who will tickle their ivories? Page 11 Keys to success ! More amateur pianists showcase their musical skills as The Piano returns… Budding pianists are limbering up to tickle the ivories at train stations across the UK as C4’s hit show The Piano returns for a seven-part series guaranteed to pull at our heartstrings. Claudia Winkleman presents once again, while adjudicating from a secret location are world-renowned pianist Lang Lang and pop superstar Mika, who’ll choose their favourite virtuoso from each station to perform in a special concert at Manchester’s Aviva Studios. Magic moments But unlike the first series, the pianists now know that Lang Lang and Mika are watching their performances. So will that make a difference? ‘All three of us were worried about returning because the first series was created with the idea of: what happens when people play the piano and they think no one’s watching?’ says Claudia. ‘It was so poetic, but now that everyone knows the show, I’ve been expecting people to turn up in ball gowns! ‘But they still can’t see Lang Lang and Mika, and the show is shot so subtly that it doesn’t feel like a hoo-ha. They just chat to me, then play.’ This new series visits train stations in Edinburgh, Cardiff, London and Liverpool, but begins in Manchester Piccadilly, where nine-year-old prodigy Ethan stops commuters in their tracks by playing Frédéric Chopin’s 19th-century piece Nocturne in C# Minor No.20, and 80-year-old Duncan, who is living with dementia, performs a stunning ‘thank you’ song for his wife, Fran. ‘You never know what’s going to move you,’ says Mika. ‘Someone can play simple chords and sing, and it just clicks and makes people cry. You can’t put your finger on it, but it’s magic.’ Lang Lang promises a wider range of music this time, too. ‘There’s more international music, and in Cardiff, we hear folk music,’ explains the Chinese superstar. ‘We get to see the whole world through The Piano.’ Closer UK – Issue 1105, 27 April/3 May 2024 21 hours ago, Kumazzz said: Closer UK – Issue 1105, 27 April/3 May 2024 PDF file ( 195 kb ) 2024.04.27-Closer_Issue_1105_p66_The_Piano_.pdf Page 66 The Piano REALITY SHOW RETURNS SUN 28 APR, 9PM, C4 Claudia Winkleman is back with a second season of the talent show that sees some of the UK’s best amateur pianists battle it out at train stations across the country for a chance to perform at the Royal Festival Hall. The series has been called a “breath of fresh air” and there will be seven episodes this time (extended from five), with judges Mika and Lang Lang returning alongside Clauds. Competition is set to be tight, with the search beginning in Manchester Piccadilly station – where they discover a classically-trained boxer, a dance DJ, and an 80-year-old romantic… FACTFILE: Series one in February 2023 was won by Lucy Illingworth – a blind 13-year old who stole the nation’s hearts. Heat UK – Issue 1291, 27 April/3 May 2024 20 hours ago, Kumazzz said: Heat UK – Issue 1291, 27 April/3 May 2024 PDF file ( 797 kb ) Heat_-_Issue_1291_2024_p69.pdf Page 69 The Piano CHANNEL 4, SUNDAY 28 APRIL, 9PM Claudia Winkleman meets more talented amateur pianists who are making commuters stop in their tracks playing in train stations. Listening in will be musicians Lang Lang and Mika. And Claudia, who says she’s not musical at all, admits she is still blown away by the reactions, saying, “As a musical outsider, it was amazing for me to watch everyone rushing through the stations, then stopping as soon as someone started playing the piano.” The opening ep takes place in Manchester Piccadilly Station. TV & Satellite Week 27 April/3 May, 2024 20 hours ago, Kumazzz said: TV & Satellite Week 27 April/3 May, 2024 PDF file ( 1.5 MB ) TV_Satellite_Week_-_27_Apr_24_2024-p8+9.pdf Page 8 + 9 TV WEEK Keys, to success Claudia Winkleman, Lang Lang and Mika are on the hunt for more amateur pianists as the talent show returns In the centre of a crowd at Liverpool Lime Street Station, a fast-tempo jazz tune is being belted out on a piano and TV&Satellite Week spots Claudia Winkleman and her famous fringe swaying to the beat. We’ve been invited to watch filming for C4’s ivory-tickling talent show The Piano, which stole the nation’s hearts when it first aired last year as budding musicians showcased their skills in UK train stations, unaware that world renowned classical pianist Lang Lang and pop superstar Mika were secretly watching. In this new seven-part series, the talented virtuosos now know that Lang Lang and Mika are nearby, debating which performer to pick from each station to send through to the grand final. But now that there’s no big reveal, will it make a difference to the performances? ‘ All three of us were a little worried about returning because the first series was created around the idea of: what happens when people play the piano, and they think no one is watching?’ explains presenter Winkleman, 52, when we chat in a nearby hotel after a long day of performances. 'Now that everyone knows how the show works, I’ve been fully expecting people to turn up in ball gowns,. But Lang Lang and Mika are still hidden away, and the show is shot so subtly that it doesn’t feel like a hoo-ha. They just chat to me, then play.’ CONCOURSE CONCERTS This new series also takes the trio to busy concourses in Edinburgh, Cardiff and London and kicks off this week in Manchester Piccadilly, where a young boxer, Ellis, gives a knockout rendition of Frédéric Chopin’s Ballade No.4, while drum- and-bass DJ Salome belts out the jazzy show tune Feeling Good, made famous by Nina Simone. There’s also nine-year old prodigy Ethan, who stops commuters in their tracks with his take on Chopin’s Nocturne in C# Minor No.20, and 80-year-old Duncan, who is living with dementia and plays a stunning ‘thank you’ song for his wife, Fran. ‘The standard has gone up this year, but you never know what will move you,’ says Mika, 40. ‘Someone can play Chopin, and technically, it’s all there, but it might not provoke emotion in me or Lang Lang. ‘Then someone can play the most simple triad chords and sing, and it just clicks and makes people cry. You can’t put your finger on it, but it’s pure magic.’ The first run culminated in a concert at London’s Royal Festival Hall, where blind and neurodiverse 13-year-old Lucy was crowned with the winning performance. This time, the final will be at Manchester’s Aviva Studios, with ticket sales helping to fund more pianos in train stations across the UK. A WORLD OF MUSIC ‘After the Royal Festival Hall, we wanted to do something different and more contemporary, so the final will be in a brand-new, high-tech venue that’s made for both classical and non-classical music,’ says Mika. ‘So we are putting on a real show.’ Lang Lang promises there’ll be a broader range of music, too. ‘It’s made me appreciate new types of music because this show is not only classical, it’s everything,’ says the 41-year-old superstar. ‘There’s more international music this time as well, and some places we visit have their own traditions and types of music, like Cardiff, where you’ll hear folk music. You’ll see the whole world through The Piano. Total TV Guide 27 April 2024_The_Piano 19 hours ago, Kumazzz said: Total TV Guide 27 April 2024_The_Piano PDF file ( 2.4 MB ) Total TV Guide 27.04.2024_The_Piano_.pdf 2.36 MB · 1 download Page 4 + 5 In perfect harmony Lang Lang and Mika on why they chime together... Have you learnt anything from doing the first series that's been useful this time? Lang Lang I would love to say yes but the truth is, in the first season there were a lot of songs that I had no idea about and it was thanks to Mika's knowledge the show wasn't a disaster! This second season I thought I was going to be better, but in Liverpool I realised I'm not at all! Mika You never know what's going to move you. Sometimes a person will play something really complicated - some Chopin or something - and technically it's all there, but it doesn't provoke emotion in either of us. And then someone comes and plays something with the most simple chords, and maybe lyrics, and for whatever reason it clicks. Everything aligns and it makes people cry. It's magic. You can't quite put your finger on why it happens, you just have to be open to it. LIFTING THE LID Radio Times VIDEO 18 hours ago, Kumazzz said: Radio Times Pop or classical? Concerts or festivals? We challenged #ThePiano stars Claudia Winkleman and Mika to answer some quick-fire musical questions during our photoshoot for this week's issue of Radio Times - and this is what they said YouTube This or That with Claudia Winkleman and Mika Radio Times ( COMPLETE ) 27 May 2024 12 hours ago, Kumazzz said: UPDATE ! Here is a TRUE PDF file !!! It's easy to read. Radio Times 27 May 2024 Pressreader https://pressreader.com/article/281801404017769 PDF file ( 4.2 MB ) 2024.04.27_Radio Times_The-Piano.pdf Page 1 BRAVO! THE PIANO RETURNS KEY PLAYERS Claudia Winkleman, Lang Lang and Mika reveal the secrets of the most joyful show on TV Page 3 From the Editors THE STORY OF HOW The Piano began life may be apocryphal, but it’s worth repeating. A TV executive on his commute walked past an old piano, installed at St Pancras Station to amuse passing passengers, and found the sound of those brave enough to sit on the stool and start playing so uplifting, he decided it must make a television show. That the show then became one of last year’s most unlikely hits – and Channel 4’s biggest ratings success of recent years – is testament to live music’s power to move an audience. Not to mention our love of plucky amateurs ready to have a go at entertaining us that goes back long before TV talent shows such as The Voice and The X Factor. But unlike those shows, the contestants in The Piano had no idea they were part of a competition. They thought they were merely playing for the hell of it, thinking they were being filmed for a documentary about people who play pianos in public spaces for the fleeting entertainment of passers-by. What made the series such a success? In our interview on page 12 The Piano’s trio of Claudia Winkleman, Lang Lang and Mika have their say. To their eyes – and ears – the show worked precisely because it didn’t set out to entertain using all the usual props of TV entertainment: shiny floors and showbiz glitz twinned with fake pathos and jeopardy. But there may have been another key to its success: the simple joy that music can bring, performed at the highest level or by a tinkler of the bar-room ivories. Last September C4 boss Ian Katz told RT that 2023 spelt the end of mean television. And that he was ready to pronounce a new era of Happy TV. Which may explain why The Piano is back for a second run – especially since he said all this before cycling off to attend a piano lesson. Once you have fallen for The Piano, it's hard to forget it. Tom Loxley & Shem Law Editors, Radio Times Page 4 27 APRIL—3 MAY 2024 TV The Piano Sunday 9.00pm C4 It was a somewhat unlikely hit last year; now more of the nation’s train stations play host to talented ivory tinklers hoping to impress pop star Mika and virtuoso pianist Lang Lang. The brilliant Claudia Winkleman returns to present. INTERVIEWS P12 Page 12 ‘What I can’t bear is “Yeah, I’ve got this”. I’m allergic to any form of arrogance’ CLAUDIA WINKLEMAN PHOTOGRAPHED EXCLUSIVELY FOR RADIO TIMES BY ROBERT WILSON Page 13, 15 The Piano Sunday 9.00pm C4 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒋𝒐𝒚𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝑽 As The Piano makes a swift return, hosts Claudia Winkleman, Mika and Lang Lang reveal the secrets of the show’s success. No glitz, no make-up, no pathos, it’s all about the music… WELCOME TO BANTER Central – a photographic studio in west London, where Claudia Winkleman and Mika are recovering from throwing shapes under strobe-esque lighting against a dazzling backdrop of black and-white 1960s Op Art à la Bridget Riley. There are a few serious moments but mostly it’s wise-cracking verbal ping-pong. Claudia, peering out from under what she calls her “Unapologetic Fringe”, is munching through two bags of crisps and a packet of mini-Oreos, for which she apologises quite often. Then, witness ing my faffing with tape recorders while dealing poorly with a cup of tea (lack of spoon, saucer and so on) as Mika is talking, she quietly slips it away and dispatches the damp tea bag in what I suspect is a characteristically kind and unob trusive intervention. These are two of the three faces (I meet Lang Lang later in the week) of what is surely the most joy-filled television series of recent times: The Piano, the Channel 4 gem that went out early last year following a most unusual music competition between amateur piano players invited to perform on public pianos at major train station across the length of the country, from London’s St Pancras to Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow. The participants – of all ages and from all backgrounds, with the most tremendous back-stories, playing every genre of music from classical to pop and rap – were under the impression that they were being filmed for some kind of documentary presented by Claudia. Unbeknownst to them, the world’s leading classical piano player, Lang Lang, was hidden away in a small room, usually next to the public toilet, alongside the beguiling performer and pop star Mika. Both men were judging their performances with a view to selecting one pianist from each location to appear in a concert at the Royal Festival Hall, where an overall winner would be announced. Last year this was stand-out star, blind 13-year-old Lucy Illingworth from West York shire, who is unable to communicate in conven tional ways because of her autism and other conditions. Her transformation when she started playing the piano (Chopin’s Nocturne in B flat Minor) with such tenderness and artistry was deeply affecting, moving viewers at home and in the station to tears, including the judges. The first series had the highest ratings for the channel since 2017, with three million viewers, and in July last year it was announced that the show had been recommissioned for both a second and third season, as well as a Christmas special and a documentary on what came next for Lucy (The Incredibly Talented Lucy is coming soon to Channel 4). Sitting across from me, Mika looks like the offspring of Stephen Mangan and Beatrice Dalle, while Claudia’s vibe is more Carine Roitfeld, the deliciously dishevelled and very rock ’n’ roll French fashion editor. We talk a little about an old clip that has emerged, of Claudia looking very different in her 20s [she’s now very happy to be 52 – “I love being older”], without the famous fringe and tan, and with a different way of talking [she calls it her “university voice”, adding of her time at New Hall, Cambridge: “I did go to a quite fancy university”]. She looks quite Sloaney? “Very,” she agrees. So when did she develop rock ’n’ roll Claudia? “Well, I don’t feel rock ’n’ roll at all. I’m definitely not.” It started with the fringe when she went to a hairdresser and said, at 28: “‘I think I’d like a fringe’ and he gave me – you’re both going to feel nauseous when I say this word – a wispy fringe and I said, ‘I think I need an unapologetic fringe.’ And once I had that, everything else followed.” The black eyeliner? “I think I had that already but not in that clip because I was doing telly and I had no idea what I was doing and they said, ‘Let’s make you up like this’ and I was like, ‘OK,’ but I was always a bit Emo.” Maybe a bit Goth, too? “Oh I was very Goth– even now, a pointy boot and a long duster coat...” she swoons. WHAT DOES SHE make of Nick Cave and his wife Susie Bick, who used to rock that Goth look. “Love. I met Susie once and I mounted her. I don’t think I’m allowed to meet her again. I also love Ozzy Osbourne and in the end, I just want to eat a bat.” One of the reasons we love Claudia – apart from her sense of mischief, warmth and genuine curiosity – is that she is an original. I mean, honestly, who says the things she says routinely – particularly now – and gets away with it? The journalist Stuart Heritage captured her presenting style brilliantly, writing that she is “the concept of free jazz made corporeal” and “has made a career of appearing to say whatever happens to be ambiently floating through her head at any given moment”. I remind her that she actually said, “My ovaries just clacked” on The Piano when she spotted a baby. Mika is aghast: “Did she really say that? She does get very, very excited around babies. Honestly, she’s the babysitter at the station.” “I don’t remember that,” Claudia says. “We never watch it.” Is she desperate to be a granny? Is she already encouraging her children (Jake, 21, Matilda, 17, and Arthur, 12) to become young parents? “Yes I am, and if they were here now they would be, like, ‘Please just tell her to relax!’” She travels with her youngest on the Tube to school every day and this is when she listens to music – “and once I’ve kissed him and tried to lick his eyebrows in front of his friends – which by the way is not what one should do but it’s my job to be embarrassing – then I put my headphones on and listen to music very loud. I want Missy Elliott, I want Dr Dre and rap and – BOOM! – it wakes me up. “At home, I’ll usually have Radio 4 or Radio 2 on if I’m cooking or just pottering around, but I don’t normally listen to music then because I’m usually pestering the kids. Am I being boring?” This is typical of her. Claudia is self-deprecat ing to a fault. I was berating her about it when we met for an interview 14 years ago, but she’s even worse now. SHE IS AN integral part of The Piano’s appeal (as she is in Strictly and that other successful series The Traitors, for which she won a Bafta last year), but she demurs. Isn’t it about time, dear Claudia, to own your success? “I’m super-happy and super-grateful, but I’m just the conduit who says, ‘Hello.’ The Piano is about these extraordinary people who come to play, it’s about the instrument and it’s about Mika and Lang Lang – [she turns and says to Mika] Don’t respond!” “She knows me!” he laughs. “I love this conversation – I’m serious, I really mean it.” He clearly agrees about her tendency to put herself down. “I feel quite secure in the stuff that I know I can do,” she responds. “Reading out loud on Strictly. Greeting a lovely person who’s come in and might be a bit nervous to play the piano. Walking around a round table. What I really can’t bear is ‘Yeah, I’ve got this’. I’m allergic to any form of arrogance. “I love a healthy bit of imposter syndrome and I am a big believer in being bad at things. When my kids were like, ‘Mum, shall I learn a musical instrument?’ I said, ‘I wouldn’t. Not unless you really want to.’ I want them to be bored and I just want to say aloud, ‘It’s OK not to be good at stuff.’ You know, I’m not good at parallel parking – fine.” We move on and touch on the wars raging around the world. Claudia’s response is to donate and keep informed: “Read about it from every angle so at least you feel informed, not ‘I just can’t look at it’.” Her personal solace to sorrow is to wrap herself around the people she loves, which is her family. For Mika, it is music. “There has always been this association with processing the inexpressible through something that allows you to deal with it in a different way. There was this fine line with my family between tears and joy, and music was always this form of poetic resistance, which can have huge and strong consequences.” The bare bones of biography can mislead. Read that 40-year-old Mika was born in Beirut, moved to Paris, then Pimlico adjacent to London’s Chelsea, went to the famous Westminster School in London, with an American father in banking, and it paints a picture of gilded ease. The reality was rather different. In 1990, during the war in Kuwait, Mika’s father, Michael Holbrook Penniman, was trapped in the US embassy for seven months. He returned to his family a shell of a man: heavily bearded, gaunt and troubled. Mika didn’t call him Dad again, I read? “I called him ‘Mike’ because I didn’t recognise him. It was hard to understand that he had trauma but then when everything fell apart and he lost his job... “There were five of us children and we lost everything, then we started again. We knew every phrase to say to be within the law to make sure the bailiffs didn’t come into the house. At a certain point, it became too much and we kind of ran away from France and started again. We didn’t run away, sorry – we left. And then we lived in a bed and breakfast near Pimlico for two years.” His parents managed to stabilise things, but it was still bumpy. Mika was suspended four times at Westminster, for quite long intervals, because his school fees couldn’t be paid. This led to almighty rows between his parents and he would tell his mother – American-born Lebanese-Syrian Joannie – that he would be happy at any school. However, when the family first moved to London the nine-year-old Mika had attended the Lycée, where he was so badly bullied that he was home-schooled for a while by his mum, to whom he was particularly close and who sadly died three years ago. “She was very eccentric,” he says, affection ately. “Home was music, colour and tears all mixed together. My father was an amazing part ner to her... you can’t really speak about one without speaking about the other. There was turbulence but he was the perfect partner to her hurricane of colour.” MIKA IS DYSLEXIC and as a child had reading and writing issues – but he speaks five languages and broadcasts regularly in at least three of them. He also has a wonderfully evoca tive turn of phrase. I am particularly taken by “the crutch of snobbery”. But back then, life was more of a challenge. “I stopped communicating with the world around me. I was hardly speaking. I forgot how to read and write. My path out of it was music – it allowed me to start rebuilding and gave me another sense of value. I may have been failing at the spelling exam and having a hard time, but I’m not worthless – ‘Look, I can do this!’” To which Claudia is keen to point out: “Mika hid in the music room from the bullies.” Music comforts him still. He suggests you give the same attention to it as you would reading a book or watching a film – one song and you absorb yourself in it totally. It could be Joni Mitchell’s A Case of You or Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique: “All those colours, all those textures – you can’t listen to that in the background while you’re making your tomato sauce!” “Mika and I get on so brilliantly but you’re about to go off me!” Claudia announces. Addressing him she adds: “So this is how I listen to music... I don’t like anything new. I stopped listening to bands in probably 1995 and those are still my favourites. That period of Brit Pop with Oasis, Blur, Pulp. We would run around university singing Wonderwall at the top of our lungs and that is the music I revert to.” THE PLAYFUL BOND between Claudia and Mika is evident for all to see – but what of his relationship with his fellow judge, the renowned pianist Lang Lang? Initially he had seemed very reserved in contrast to Mika’s exuberant chattiness, his sherbet-coloured shirts and bold necklaces. But over the weeks it was clear that an endearing friendship had developed, almost a bromance. “There are moments when Lang Lang is quite tactile and you wouldn’t expect that,” Mika says. “When he’s finding something really funny he can’t control himself. He’ll laugh and he starts stroking my face and I’m, like, ‘Oh my God!’ There’s very few situations in my life where I’m having a nice time, especially with a man, and he just strokes your face out of affection.” All three of them are clearly, and quite rightly, proud of the show: “We’re a beautiful little poetic success – there’s no big shiny floor, there’s no mechanic of pathos,” Mika says. “They haven’t had make-up or been zhuzhed,” Claudia adds. “There isn’t a floor manager saying, ‘Come in and please introduce yourself.’” But now everyone knows how the The Piano works, did that change the dynamic for season two? “I was so worried that they’d come in a ballgown waving – ‘Lang Lang! Mika! I’m here!’” Claudia vamps. “But actually because you can’t see them, they’re sort of forgotten.’” So the authenticity remains... “It’s beyond that,” Claudia says. “I’m holding their bags!” “And they’re sitting at the Costa coffee shop or Greggs!” Mika adds. “But once they play,” Claudia chimes in, “it’s not humdrum.” Mika smiles: “Exactly. It’s magic.” Page 17 ‘I need to do better’ Pianist Lang Lang on his work-life balance – and the magic of Mika Born in China in 1982, Lang Lang started to learn the piano just three years later - and it's been a part of his life ever since. Aged nine, he was dropped by his tutor for having "no talent" and his strict father advised that he take his own life. "We're very good friends now. I've forgiven him for many years already," he says today. Instead of giving up, Lang Lang rose to great heights. Today he's probably the world's most famous pianist, a prodigy who has performed at the White House, the King's Coronation and concert halls around the world. Now aged 41, many credit him with single-handedly creating a new generation of pianists in China, and with his International Music Foundation's Keys of Inspiration programme, he's trying to do the same in the UK and America. Assuming, of course, that he hasn't already found the next big thing while hiding in a train station for Channel 4... THE OVERTURE My first memory is of there being a piano in the house from when I was one. We listened to classical music and Chinese folk music on a videotape cassette and later CDs. My father plays the Chinese violin, which is called the erhu. When I was a kid, it was harder to make friends because I was always practicing. CHANGING MY TUNE My life has improved tremendously, which I do appreciate but, honestly, I don't have so much time to feel it. I'm always on the road and focused on how I'm going to get better as a pianist. But I think now that I'm married, with a baby, I have to fly back home more often [he has houses in New York, Paris and Shanghai. An artist's life is very hard to balance. I need to do better. I need to cut some activities. STRIKING A CHORD I knew immediately that we needed The Piano. Shows like that are often core-classical and are very hard for people to watch on television - this is something for everybody. But being on The Piano is quite a different experience for me. I normally have to talk about my new recording or my foundation work, not as a judge, so I'm very happy that I have Mika and Claudia. SINGING FROM THE SAME HYMN SHEET I really love what Mika does. He's a great musician and I have a huge respect for him. This guy is so knowledgeable, I really learnt a lot because his repertoire... honestly, I had no idea. And he's a very lovable person. We became very, very good friends in a short time and it has remained this wonderful friendship. This season the bonds are even closer. And Claudia, too, has this magic that, no matter who she is talking to, in five minutes she is getting that person's entire life story. FACING THE MUSIC In this second series, there were more people sending in their videos and applying to be on it and the quality is very high. Of course, it's hard to match Lucy [who won the first series]. No one can compare to her. But we do have some different talent; some different stories; some different backgrounds. This is not like shooting some other talent competitions where you have to push them many times and re-film- even if we wanted to do a retake, it would not happen. Everything is "in the moment" and very authentic. Page 46 Sunday TA-DAH! Claudia Winkleman, Mika and Lang Lang seek Britain’s best pianists REALITY The Piano It was an unlikely premise for a hit and yet the first series of this X Factor for pianists became something of a sleeper success when it debuted last year. Now it returns, as more train station concourses transform into a stage for talented musicians to tickle the ivories. Contestants of all ages and backgrounds take a seat, with moving personal stories and bewitching recitals flowing. The piano prowess is stunning; the fingerwork dizzying. Claudia Winkleman returns as host — her sincere enthusiasm one of the major keys to this show’s success — with pop star Mika and virtuoso pianist Lang Lang in the wings. They eavesdrop on the performances and will decide which of the day’s players will play at the series’ finale concert. Unlike before, though, the pair are able to break cover. One moment during their time at Manchester Piccadilly sees them personifying Simon Cowell when, after one performance, they ask to hear an alternative song. “Everything has gone rogue,” notes Claudia. “I loved it when they were next to the toilets.” Liverpool Echo Article and Video 12 hours ago, Kumazzz said: Liverpool Echo https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/tv/claudia-winklemans-visit-liverpool-airing 23 APR 2024 Claudia Winkleman's visit to Liverpool airing on Channel 4 Claudia Winkleman's adventures with Mika and Lang Lang airs on Sunday Presenter Claudia Winkleman was spotted in Lime Street Station in February filming Channel 4's The Piano. Film crews were present in the centre of the station while commuters made their journeys throughout the day. A small circle formed around Claudia while she stood beside a piano and welcomed people to step up to play one of their favourite songs. The sight was kept inconspicuous with only a small team present to not unnerve the pianists. The scenes were a portion of Channel 4's The Piano which sees amateur pianists from all over the country show off their skills. Hidden away elsewhere was pop superstar Mika and the greatest pianist in the world, Lang Lang. Behind the scenes, the pair watched the amateur pianists performing before making the difficult decision on who will progress in the show. Commuters will finally be able to catch a glimpse of themselves in the background as series two kicks off this weekend, Sunday, April 28, at 9pm, with Claudia, Mika and Lang Lang agreeing the talent is off the charts. Local musicians of all ages stepped up to perform in Lime Street with Claudia, Mika and Lang Lang admitting they were blown away by how emotional this series is. Claudia told the ECHO: "There was a girl and she was so nervous because she'd never sung in public before and she played her own composition. I found it incredibly moving. She made people who were watching cry. "Another amazing performer was Billy who's about to be 90 who brought his entire family and this was a song he wrote about his granddaughter. I'll look and there are people with tears streaming down their faces. There's so much emotion." The Piano's grand prize is a performance spot at the end-of-series concert in London's prestigious Royal Festival Hall. Series one victor Lucy Illingworth, a talented, blind and neurodiverse 13-year-old from Yorkshire, stole the hearts of the nation for her beautiful rendition of Debussy’s Arabesque No.1. The Piano stresses there is no "winner" as it opts to drop the competitive aspect in favour of highlighting the talents and stories of all involved. Series two kicks off this weekend, Sunday, April 28, at 9pm on Channel 4. YouTube We spoke to the stars of hit TV show The Piano The hit Channel 4 show The Piano is returning to screens later this week on Sunday April 28. Our reporter Christopher Megrath spoke to stars Claudia Winkleman, Mika and Lang Lang when they were filming in Liverpool in February, and they had a lot to say about the series and the city. What to Watch 11 hours ago, Kumazzz said: What to Watch https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/the-piano-season-2-release-date-interviews-and-everything-we-know The Piano season 2: release date, interviews and everything we know The Piano season 2 sees Claudia Winkleman, Lang Lang and Mika return to seek out more budding maestros. Budding pianists are limbering up to tickle the ivories at train stations across the UK as Channel 4’s smash-hit show The Piano returns for a seven-part series, guaranteed to pull at our heartstrings. Claudia Winkleman is presenting once again, while adjudicating from a secret location are world-renowned pianist Lang Lang and pop superstar Mika, who will choose their favourite virtuoso from each station to perform in a special concert at Manchester’s Aviva Studios. This series visits stations in Edinburgh, Cardiff, London and Liverpool, but begins in Manchester Piccadilly, where nine-year-old Ethan stops commuters in their tracks with Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20, and 80-year-old Duncan, who has dementia, plays a stunning ‘thank you’ song for his wife, Fran. Plus, boxer Ellis gives a knockout rendition of Chopin’s Ballade No. 4. But unlike series one, the players now know that Lang Lang and Mika will be watching their performances, does it make a difference? What To Watch caught up with The Piano presenters Claudia Winkleman, Lang Lang and Mika during filming to find out why series two hits all the right notes... The Piano season 2 release date The Piano will air on Channel 4, Sunday 28 April at 9pm and will air weekly for seven weeks in the same slot. The Piano season 2 interview How does it feel to be back filming the most heart-warming show on TV? Mika: "Incredible! We were amazed by the reaction to series one, which was a beautiful little project that was shot as more of a documentary. The whole thing has been such an astounding, tender surprise." Lang Lang: "I knew it was going to be something different from other talent shows out there, but I didn't expect it to be such a success!" Claudia: "It’s just magical. For example, a girl played today and a man was in floods of tears. I assumed he was her dad, so I said, ‘You must be incredibly proud?’ He whispered back, ‘I've never met her’. But she did something that really moved him, and that’s what the show’s about." Have things changed now the pianists know that Lang Lang and Mika are watching? Claudia: "All three of us were a little worried about returning because the first series was created with this idea of what happens when people play the piano and they think no one is watching? It was so poetic, but now everyone knows the show, I’ve been expecting people to turn up in ballgowns! However, they still can’t see Lang Lang and Mika, and the show is shot so subtly and beautifully that it doesn't feel like a hoo-ha. They just chat to me, then play." Mika: "We were worried that something would change with the pianists’ intentions or ambitions because they now know we are hidden away, listening. But we are still seeing extraordinary people who have amazing stories." Lang Lang: "And if somebody feels special, this time Mika and I can go out to see them to encourage them to do better." Have you seen a higher standard of performances? Mika: "The standard has gone up, yes, but you never know what’s going to move you. Someone can play Chopin and technically it’s all there, but it might not provoke emotion in me nor in Lang Lang. Then someone can play the most simple triad chords and sing, and it makes people cry. You can’t put your finger on it, but it’s magic." Lang Lang: "There’s more international music this time, and some places we visit have their traditions and types of music, like Cardiff, where we hear folk music. We see the whole world through the piano in this series." What can you tell us about the final this year? Mika: "After the series one final in London’s Royal Festival Hall, we wanted to do something different and more contemporary. Manchester’s Aviva Studios is a new, high-tech venue made for both classical and non-classical music. So we are putting on a real show and people have bought tickets." That must be quite nerve-racking for the finalists? Mika: "Like last time, we do mentoring days and full rehearsal days. They’re not going into a brutal gladiator-style situation, though. They’re just going to do something beautiful." Claudia: "This will make you feel nauseous, but I’ll say it anyway: once they join The Piano family, it’s our job to look after them. They all look after each other, which is my favourite thing, but our duty of care is really important because some haven’t even played in stations before let alone on the stage. They have two of the greatest musicians to hold their hand, too." Have you been tempted to take up the piano yet, Claudia? Claudia: "Oh, I’m not allowed to touch a recorder, or even sing Happy Birthday in my own house! I know nothing, honestly. Somebody played brilliantly the other day, and the crew and I were saying, ‘Yes! Smashed it!’ But Mika and Lang Lang said, ‘Good, but it was in the wrong key.’ So, we absolutely bow to them." Is there a trailer for The Piano season 2? No yet, but as soon as one is released we will add it to this guide. Ellis chats to Claudia before playing Chopin at Manchester Piccadilly station. (Image credit: Channel 4 / Nic Serpell-Rand) Claudia meets nine-year-old pianist Ethan at Manchester Piccadilly station. (Image credit: Channel 4 / Nic Serpell-Rand) OK ! Inside Soap 1 hour ago, Kumazzz said: UPDATE ! Added PDF files !! OK ! 23 Apr 2024 Pressreader https://pressreader.com/article/282119231598476 PDF file ( 525 kb ) OK_33_UK_29_04_2024_p.56-59_The_Piano.pdf Inside Soap 23 Apr 2024 Pressreader https://pressreader.com/article/282888030744591 PDF file (1.7 MB ) Inside_Soap_UK_27_04_2024_p.62+63_The_Piano_.pdf New! Magazine 29 April 2024 1 hour ago, Kumazzz said: New! Magazine 29 April 2024 Pressreader https://pressreader.com/article/282415584341880 PDF file ( 598 kb ) New! 29.04.2024_60+61_The_Piano.pdf KEYS TO SUCCESS Who strikes a chord in the second series of The Piano? Claudia Winkleman is reuniting with Mika and Lang Lang for another series of The Piano – Channel 4’s search for Britain’s next top pianist. Placing pianos in train stations across the country, the trio are looking for new talent as they watch whoever tickles the ivories from a hidden spot. From a classically trained boxer to an 80-year-old romantic, amateur pianists from all over the UK compete for a place in the final concert. The Piano, Sunday 28 April, 9pm, Channel 4 Radio Times VIDEO ( Behind the Scenes ) 1 hour ago, Kumazzz said: Radio Times Come behind the scenes of our cover photoshoot with Mika, Claudia Winkleman and Lang Lang in celebration of 'the most joyful show on TV', #ThePiano YouTube TikTok and more... 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted April 24 Author Share Posted April 24 X Beautiful music is coming to a station near you... The Piano with @ClaudiaWinkle, @MikaSounds and @Lang_Lang starts Sunday 28th April at 9pm on @Channel4 #ThePiano 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 Here is the Official trailer ! 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyLove_CJ Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 On the UK show Good Morning Britain (GMB) there was a pre-recorded interview with Claudia, Mika and Lang Lang done at the London station back when they were doing the initial auditions. Lovely surprise to wake up to this morning! Did anyone else manage to see it or record it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyLove_CJ Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 The Piano just got a mention on the Lorraine show too! Different host today, Ranvir, how dare she say that she's never watched the series! 😤 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted April 26 Author Share Posted April 26 44 minutes ago, TinyLove_CJ said: On the UK show Good Morning Britain (GMB) there was a pre-recorded interview with Claudia, Mika and Lang Lang done at the London station back when they were doing the initial auditions. Lovely surprise to wake up to this morning! Did anyone else manage to see it or record it? Good Morning Britain (GMB) Here is the REPLAY, but VPN is BLOCKED !I can't see anything... https://www.itv.com/watch/good-morning-britain/2a3211/2a3211a3811 Hope they upload to YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@gmb/featured Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Ko Kolkowska Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Kumazzz said: Good Morning Britain (GMB) Here is the REPLAY, but VPN is BLOCKED !I can't see anything... https://www.itv.com/watch/good-morning-britain/2a3211/2a3211a3811 Hope they upload to YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@gmb/featured For me it's blocked as well. An error pops-up. But it sais that the program is not available YET. So I will try later. Edited April 26 by Anna Ko Kolkowska 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted April 26 Author Share Posted April 26 Good Morning Britain (GMB) on X Claudia mentions The Traitors season 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nessaja Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 Here it is Fortunately my VPN worked fine The part about The Piano from today's Good Morning Britain. 0426.mp4 3 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Ko Kolkowska Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 19 minutes ago, Nessaja said: Here it is Fortunately my VPN worked fine The part about The Piano from today's Good Morning Britain. 0426.mp4 164.04 MB · 0 downloads Thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holdingyourdrink Posted Friday at 11:39 AM Share Posted Friday at 11:39 AM 1 hour ago, Nessaja said: Here it is Fortunately my VPN worked fine The part about The Piano from today's Good Morning Britain. 0426.mp4 164.04 MB · 0 downloads I thoroughly enjoyed this interview!! Just love how much banter there is between him and Claudia. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumazzz Posted Friday at 11:43 AM Author Share Posted Friday at 11:43 AM E4 +1 Continuity & Advert Breaks - Friday 26th April 2024 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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