Two-Season Renewal for The Piano

Channel 4 has commissioned two additional seasons of The Piano as well as a Christmas special and a documentary about its first season winner.

Claudia Winkleman returns as host alongside Lang Lang and Mika in the show from Love Productions. The new seasons have been expanded from five episodes to seven as the series seeks out undiscovered pianists across the U.K. The Piano was Channel 4’s best-rating new format since 2017, scoring 2.7 million viewers with its first episode. Fremantle secured the global rights to the format earlier this year.

In addition to two further seasons, Channel 4 has slated a 60-minute Christmas special and a one-off 70-minute documentary about 13-year-old Lucy, who won the first season, and her teacher, Daniel.

Ian Katz, Channel 4’s chief creative officer, 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, from the 94-year-old widower who played in Glasgow station to find company to Lucy, the remarkable 13-year-old who stole the nation’s hearts. It took viewers on a remarkable emotional roller coaster, and I’m delighted that it will be coming back from more British stations next year.”

Richard McKerrow, creator and executive producer at Love Productions, added: “It always felt somewhat of a creative leap so we were particularly thrilled with the success of The Piano on Channel 4. Most especially the warm response from everyone who watched. We’re extremely excited to be embarking on further series with the wonderful Claudia Winkleman at the helm along with Mika and Lang Lang and the opportunity to unearth a whole new range of unknown amateur pianists from across the country and to hear what music they want to play in public.”