Claudia Winkleman's The Piano renewed for two more series
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Channel 4 has confirmed The Piano will return for two new series and a Christmas special.
The reality talent show, hosted by Strictly Come Dancing and The Traitors presenter Claudia Winkleman, debuted its first series over five weeks in February and March this year.
Audiences saw amateur pianists take to public pianos in London St Pancras, Leeds, Glasgow and Birmingham train stations to show off their skills.
Little did they know renowned classical pianist Lang Lang and popstar Mika were secretly watching and judging them, drawing up a list of four finalists who would perform at London's Royal Festival Hall.
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Lucy, Jay, Sean and Danny made it to the season final and impressed with their piano performances, but it was 13-year-old Lucy's "jaw-dropping" rendition of Debussy's Arabesque No. 1 that saw the young musician crowned as The Piano's first winner.
Lucy played at King Charles' coronation concert in front of royalty, celebrities and millions of viewers. She will also feature in a standalone 70-minute documentary alongside her piano teacher Daniel.
Jay, Sean and Danny have also given a number of public performances, with the latter two set to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe in August.
The upcoming Christmas special will see some of series one's hopefuls returning to play Christmas favourites at Kings Cross railway station, and the newly-commissioned series have been expanded to seven episodes and will feature new "iconic locations" for pianists to play.
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The Piano proved a huge success for Channel 4, becoming the network's best-rating new format since 2017. The series also had an average of 2.7 million viewers through its run.
As a result, the programme (commissioned from The Great British Bake Off's Love Productions) will be back for a second and third season, with the number of episodes increasing from five to seven.
"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," said Channel 4's chief creative office Ian Katz.
"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."
The Piano series 1 is streaming on Channel 4, with two new series and a Christmas special confirmed.
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