HEARTBREAKING NEWS: Claudia Winkleman makes rare family revelation as she shares a “first” on Channel 4
The Piano viewers were moved to tears (Image: Channel 4)
Claudia Winkleman returned to screens on Channel 4 with the hit reality series, The Piano, alongside platinum award-winning singer Mika. For the programme’s fourth season, the pair were joined by world-renowned classical pianist Alice Sara Ott as a guest mentor while they were in Manchester Piccadilly searching for gifted amateur pianists. During Sunday’s (August 9) episode, the trio met 19-year-old student Jamie Vowles-Wang, who left everyone surprised as he sat at the piano.
Surrounded by a crowd of onlookers and commuters, the Liverpudlian admitted: “I don’t actually know what I’m going to play.” Jamie then told Claudia: “I’m going to do a little improvisation,” which shocked the judges watching from a secluded room at the station. The student then asked the presenter: “I’m going to ask you to sing a few notes if that’s alright?” A shocked Claudia abruptly exclaimed: “Me? You don’t mean that.” Before admitting: “I’m not allowed to sing Happy Birthday to any member of my family, I’m that unmusical.”
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Jamie made Claudia do a TV first (Image: Channel 4)
Pointing at the piano, Claudia then suggested: “Can I just press?” To which Jamie responded: “Singing is better.”
The 54-year-old then let out a deep sound, which the pianist matched to a chord. Impressed by this, she remarked: “I like that, the black note.”
Then Claudia hit a much higher note, and after tapping the keys, the presenter asked: “Are you happy?” He stated: “Those two notes are fine, I’m going to ask you for an emotion as well, like how are you feeling today?”
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After some thought, the mother-of-three shared: “Enthusiastic, is that alright?” One Jamie said: “That’s a good one, yeah,” the TV star, in disbelief, confessed: “I can’t believe it. We’ve never had this before; this is a Piano first.”
Claudia and Kris share three children together (Image: Getty)
As Jamie played the piano, he was praised by MIKA and Alice, as she stated: “I think it’s so much more than enthusiasm. Enthusiasm doesn’t come alone; there is something that leads into it, and there’s something you have after it, and that’s really nice.”
An impressed Mika shouted: “He’s doing it, he’s combining those two notes,” before offering a Paul Hollywood handshake equivalent and suggesting: “We should go downstairs.”
Talking to the student, he praised: “We were expecting Jaws, but instead we got David Attenborough’s journey of life,” which was a huge compliment for Jamie, who gleefully responded: “I’ll take that.”
The biggest seal of approval came towards the end of the episode, as Claudia, Mika and Anna met with all the episode’s pianists and revealed which star secured a special place in the final concert and confirmed it was Jamie.
