Television favourite Claudia Winkleman is still amazed that she is asked to present Channel 4 talent show The Piano when she has zero musical knowledge. Speaking ahead of the launch of the fourth series on Sunday, she says: “I still know absolutely nothing, but nobody seems to mind. They haven’t shouted at me, so I’m like the idiot of the group.
“I know what moves me, but I’m just there as a conduit. I’m there to chat to people and make them as comfortable as possible and try and hear as much of their story as possible, so that the mentors can then get to know them a bit before they play.”
The show sees amateur pianists showing off their skills on instruments placed in bustling railway stations, unaware that professional musicians are secretly watching and judging them. Claudia, who will be working alongside Lebanese-born pop star Mika, known for hits including Grace Kelly and Lollipop, would love to see more Elton John numbers on the show. She says: “I am longing for someone to play some Elton John. I just want somebody to play his amazing music.”
Claudia and Mika will be joined by new mentors, including Jamie Cullum and Jools Holland, who will help to weed out stars of the future. Claudia, 54, says of The Piano: “I love it so much. We’re so lucky because when we did it for the first time, we thought we’d only get one go.
“It is an absolute privilege to wait in stations for these amazing pianists who surprise us. We learn about their lives, meet their friends and family and we learn about why playing the piano is important to them. For all of us involved it’s an honour. I can’t wait to see who we’re going to meet. What’s so thrilling about this amazing show, is you have no idea who’s just around the corner and is just walking towards you through the station.”
Welcoming her new army of mentors, she says: “They all bring very different perspectives. In every location, they will choose somebody to play at the final concert, so it’s going to be fascinating.
“What I loved about having different mentors is that they love the idea and they love the show. So, what was brilliant was to have people who were so enthusiastic. I love the fact they wanted to be part of it. It’s not glamorous and we adored them for wanting to be there. It was ‘hello, welcome to Birmingham New Street station, can I get you a Greggs?’ They were all absolutely up for it.”
Now a household name after 30 years in showbusiness, which has seen her present hit shows like Strictly and Traitors, Claudia would advise wannabe media stars to go for hands-on experience over a degree. She says: “Don’t study at university. Go, but don’t study subjects like media studies. I would study something else. It is just about experience. I don’t think you need to study media. Just work around it.”
Claudia comes from a media background. Her mum, Eve Pollard, is a former newspaper editor, who was once at the helm of The Sunday Mirror and Sunday Express and her dad, Barry Winkleman, was a book publisher.
When she felt the urge to try TV, after working in a gallery, she says: “At the age of 24, I applied to the former TV company Planet 24 and got a call from Janet Street-Porter’s office and I just continued. I worry about people who know what direction they want to go in. That is nerve wracking. It is OK not to know. “
But Claudia admits that her career has involved some weird assignments. She says: “Once I dressed up as a fruit for Fruit Awareness Week on This Morning. I was a kiwi! I remember going ‘we are going to go live as a fruit.’”
Claudia graduated with an honours degree in fine art from Cambridge University, although her cheeky charm was nurtured during her days as a pupil at the City of London School for Girls. She says: “I had the most amazing history of art teacher, but my friend and I thought it would be easy. We wore fishnets, smoked fags and flirted with boys. It was like ‘paintings? Yada-yada.’ We were not bad but naughty.
“I remember one day our teacher, Mrs Dale, in the first lesson, clicked her fingers and made us all walk to St Paul’s Cathedral. She said ‘I have had enough. You look up and this is what we are going to teach you’. She was unbelievable and the way she introduced art to us was great. She took us to Venice and made us appreciate Titian. She was brilliant.”
Her father, Barry, who was divorced from her mum Eve in 1975, when she was just three, also loved taking her to galleries. She says: “My parents impacted me massively. My dad used to take me to The National Gallery and the only rule was we were only allowed to look at one painting.
“He did not want to bore me to death. Now, when I take my kids, we are in for the duration. But there was no rush when my dad took me and it made me want to go back. My dad taught me so much. My mum and dad both taught me things like, ‘make the tea and be early. Be the last one to leave. Don’t worry what you look like. It is just a shell and that is going to go’.
“I was brought up by a brilliant feminist. Once I asked my mum for a Barbie doll and she was like ‘don’t be ridiculous. That is not what you are supposed to look like’. I was told to ‘be interested, don’t worry about being interesting and ask questions.’ I was told ‘don’t be one of those tools who sits there and waits.’ I was never daunted by what they did. Only grateful. I always felt grateful that they worked so hard.”
Claudia, in turn, passes on her experience to her three children, Jake, 23, Matilda, 20, and Arthur,15, who she shares with her film and television producer husband, Kris Thykier. And she says they teach her too. Claudia continues: “I have learned everything from my kids. Life before was just waiting for them.”
Like many parents, she has steered her children away from social media. She says: “Social media is awful. It is an absolute nonsense. I would never put my kids on it. I have tried to explain to them how awful it is. I don’t post a lot of stuff on social media. I have posted six times this year.”
Instead, Claudia – who likes the ethos of her favourite filmstar, ET, whose catchphrase is ‘be good’ – gets her thrills from doing live TV. The Traitors presenter, whose BBC1 chat show – which launched in March – was recently axed after lukewarm reviews, says: “Live is exciting. It is like doing exams at school, I know it is weird but I like being tested. I like a test.
“Not a driving test as I failed many of those. Turns out head on chin is not helpful. I do get incredibly nervous though but it wakes you up. I like the nerves. When I used to do Strictly with Tess I just used to grip her upper arm all the time.” Let’s hope there’s no arm-grabbing on The Piano – to avoid any bum notes.
*The new series of The Piano continues on Channel 4, Sunday at 9pm.
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