CHANNEL 4’s The Piano descends into chaos during the brand new series’ opening episode after the show’s superstar judges break the rules in a huge show-first.
The hit TV programme fronted by Claudia Winkleman is back for a second outing to find more incredible UK pianists than ever before.
Unlike the first time around, the members of the public who head to the railway stations across the country now know that they are being watched by Mika and Lang Lang who will be passing comments on their piano-playing skills.
In a first-look at the new series, obtained exclusively by The Sun, for the first time in the show’s history, Mika and Lang Lang opt to break cover in order to beg one player to return to the Steinway to play a different song.
Although the stars are not meant to come into contact with the contenders until the end of play, during the show’s visit to Manchester Picadilly, they decide to flee through the crowds of the station in order to track the budding musician down.
Before sneaking out of their private room, Mika can be heard insisting to Claudia that the pianist played the wrong song and did not reach their full potential.
The Grace Kelly singer wasn’t happy that she played an ABBA song after she appeared saddened by her own rendition.
He went on to break the show’s rules by insisting he was going to find her and ask her to come back.
Mika said: “I’ll ask her! Take me down to her and I’ll talk to her.”
As Claudia shoved them into the crowd, she did not know where to look before she turned to the camera to beckon: “Everything has gone rogue!
“I loved it when they were next to the toilets.”
Mika and Lang Lang later found the lady outside the station as the popstar insisted she “played the wrong song”.
He went on to ask if she had another song before she looked on in shock before agreeing to return to give The Piano another go.
The show’s rule-break comes after Claudia admitted that she was “worried” that the show’s format may not survive given that the piano hopefuls would now be aware of Mika and Lang Lang’s prescens.
Speaking to The Sun and other press during filming, Claudia said: “I was really worried, we were all worried because we thought them coming and them knowing [about the show], they would be dressed in a different way and would play in a different way.
“We thought that they’d literally arrive and go, ‘hello Mika, hello Lang Lang’, but the strangest thing is – if you can’t see them, they sort of forget them.
“So you do have them just coming there, wearing whatever they’re wearing, they sit down, they have a play, they’re not trying to second guess what Mika and Lang Lang want to hear.
“It sort of kept the magic and that was really surprising, I think, and brilliant for all of us.”
The new series of The Piano starts tonight, 9pm, on Channel 4.
