Channel 4‘s The Piano is set to return to screens after a heartwarming first series last year.
The talent show puts a camera on amateur musicians, invited to perform on public street pianos.
Though the competitive element is kept a secret from contestants, judges line the best performers up for a finale at the Royal Festival Hall.
Its debut was Channel 4’s best-rated new format since 2017, boasting 2.7 million viewers on average, with blind and autistic child Lucy getting ‘performance of the night’ in an inspiring finale.
So, when is it back? Who are the presenters? And who will be judging the unknowing contestants?
The Piano is returning on April 28, a little over a year after host Claudia Winkleman (left ) and judges Lang Lang (centre) and Mika (right) brought the heartwarming show to our screens for the first time
The talent show’s debut was Channel 4’s best-rated new format since 2017, boasting 2.7 million viewers on average
Blind and autistic 13-year-old Lucy (pictured) won ‘performance of the night’ in an inspiring finale to last year’s series
When is The Piano season 2?
It has been confirmed that The Piano’s return will be on Sunday, April 28, at 9pm on Channel 4.
This is a little over a year after it last aired, and the new series will last for seven weeks.
The first six episodes will consist of ‘heats’ in locations around the UK – last year the show was staged at public pianos in London, Glasgow, Leeds and more.
Then a final episode will be ‘the concert’ at the Royal Festival Hall.
Is Claudia Winkleman set to host The Piano?
Claudia is returning as host after a stellar years on The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing
Claudia Winkleman hosted the debut season of The Piano and returned for a one-off last Christmas.
The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing presenter is also confirmed to be fitting the follow-up to The Piano into her busy schedule.
In love with the project, she said it has ‘a lovely sweetness about it‘ in contrast to more glamourous talent shows which are brimming with stardom and promises of record deals and influence.
Ian Katz, Chief Creative Officer of Channel 4 said: ‘In a world full of wannabes seeking their moment in the limelight, The Piano was a breath of fresh air.
‘It celebrated ordinary people doing something extraordinary for the sheer love of it.’
Who are the judges on The Piano?
The judges Mika (left) and Lang Lang (right) are also making a return. The duo select participants from around the country to take part in a final concert at Royal Festival Hall
Reuniting with Claudia are last year’s judges – 40-year-old singer-songwriter Mika and prodigious piano master Lang Lang, 41.
Mika rose to fame in 2007 with his album Life In Cartoon Motion, and its lead single Grace Kelly, and has since been a judge on the French edition of The Voice and Italy’s X Factor.
Lang Lang is an award-winning musician who has played the piano for Barack Obama and the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The duo, with Claudia, stand out of site from their subjects during Channel 4’s talent show, as they judge the contestants – allowing for a depressurised environment that makes The Piano more accessible to many than other shows.
Mika, Lang Lang and Claudia return on April 28 with an episode from Manchester Piccadilly station to kick off the series.
