CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: Claudia Winkleman's getting odder but The Piano sticks to its well-rehearsed formula

By CHRISTOPHER STEVENS, TV CRITIC Published: 23:54, 19 July 2026 | Updated: 23:55, 19 July 2026 Claudia Winkleman adores her dog, Skip. Really loves him — a little too much, as singer Jamie Cullum was aghast to discover on The Piano. Skip, a black-and-brown Cavalier King Charles spaniel, was flopped across her lap as she welcomed Jamie, the show's guest judge for a week. 'I couldn't find anyone to look after him,' she explained. Nothing wrong with that. More stars should take their pets on telly. Claudia has previously admitted that she lets her three-year-old pooch sprawl on the furniture and even allows him onto her bed, but that's up to her. More alarmingly, she says she 'French-kisses' him and sometimes licks his tongue. This doesn't sound hygienic, to say the least, but she refrained in front of the camera. But then she told Jamie, 'I'm off to breastfeed the dog.' And as he blanched, she added, 'He prefers the left.' 'This is a magnificently strange show,' Jamie gasped. Claudia Winkleman may be getting odder but The Piano is sticking to its well-rehearsed formula, writes Christopher Stevens Winkleman pictured in London's Victoria station filming for The Piano Actually, it isn't, though the presenter is undeniably eccentric and getting odder by the year. The show itself is entirely formulaic, sticking to a rigid pattern. The formula is a strong one, but there's nothing bizarre about it. A succession of pianists sit down at a piano in a railway station and perform a polished, well-rehearsed piece to demonstrate their skills. All sorts of genres are showcased, from classical to rock, though it's almost all mainstream — nothing too avant garde. Last week, it was Birmingham New Street. This week was supposed to be Glasgow Central but, owing to a fire, the venue was hastily switched to Liverpool Street in London. Jim, aged 84, from Aberdeen, gave us Billy Joel's New York State Of Mind, while A-level student Eva performed a piece evoking her island home of Lewis. While the performers are on the concourse, pop star Mika and a fellow judge watch and listen via a video screen in a separate room. This is the show's one 'magnificently strange' element. Why aren't they out there, drinking it in? How can they judge live music if they're not there? They couldn't stand beside the piano stool and commentate out loud, but their remarks could be recorded later and edited into the performance. The music is only half the point of the show, of course. The Piano is also about the performers, many of whom have genuinely touching stories. Palliative care nurse Diana gave us Fleetwood Mac's Landslide, a song about ageing. Young father Paul, who lost partial use of his right arm to a brain tumour, performed Russian composer Alexander Scriabin's Nocturne For The Left Hand. The real surprise was 14-year-old singer and musician Sophie, whose throaty voice reminded me of Bonnie Raitt. She poured her heart into Die On This Hill, the recent hit by Sienna Spiro, and reduced half the audience to tears. There's a young artist with a future.