The Piano's Claudia Winkleman reveals what's different about working with Jon Batiste this season

In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, Claudia Winkleman and Mika opened up on working with a new mentor and his difference in approach.

"We don't say we've said goodbye to Lang Lang, because we love him and we also love Jon [Batiste]," Winkleman explained.

"He brought a fantastic energy, he was amazing to work with."

She continued: "But Lang Lang will also never leave us. I know this sounds weird, just stay with me, but lots of pianists who have played have all met up, and they stay in touch with each other, and you sort of create this amazing family between all the different pianists.

"And I feel the same way about Lang Lang, he sent us messages, but Jon's magnificent."

For Mika, the change in mentor was even bigger for him, as he had the difficult decision in choosing which pianist to perform at the grand final with someone completely new, but that didn't hinder him in the slightest.

"They're completely different, and that difference has actually been really invigorating," he told RadioTimes.com.

"They're both brilliantly talented. They have different kind of backgrounds in terms of musical backgrounds. I think change is really healthy in these kind of situations. I mean, we are talking about two excellent musicians.

"That's the thing is, like, you're going from one thing to something completely different, but they're both phenomenal and very rare."

This weekend, The Piano will return for the launch of season 3 as they start their search for the UK's best amateur pianists at London's Liverpool Street Station.

Throughout the episode, the trio are blown away by a talent dinner lady, a girl with star power and a tarot card reader – and being back filming across the UK "feels fantastic" for Mika.

He told RadioTimes.com: "It feels like we're back on this warm beautiful journey. We know we're going to be doing roughly the same thing but this show is made up of the people that come to see us.

"The music they make, the stories they share, it changes the whole vibe of the entire season and this one's completely different to the last two we've done."

Winkleman added: "It feels an honour. We love going all across the UK. The train stations, they're so kind to us."

The Piano returns to Channel 4 at 9pm on Sunday 13th April 2025.

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