The Piano Channel 4: 'Fearless' Leeds boxer wows crowds in Manchester Piccadilly train station performance

Ellis Arey, 23, starred in the first episode of the new series on Sunday night (April 28), which was filmed at Manchester Piccadilly.

He performed Chopin’s expressive Ballade No.4, capturing the nation’s hearts with both his impressive ability and his story of growing up on a council estate.

In the episode, which saw presenter Claudia Winkleman, singer Mika and pianist Lang Lang return to the screen, Ellis likened boxing to playing the piano.

He said: “The discipline you need [for boxing] is very similar to what you need for the piano. You need to be so willing to leave your ego outside to grow and get better.”

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Ellis learnt to play the musical instrument through council-run schemes and told viewers that the reason he works so hard is because he has “nothing to fall back on”.

He added: “I don’t come from private education, it was all done through schemes from the council.”

From a low-income family, Ellis was eligible for free music lessons and fell in love with classical music.

He continued: “For me, classical music is the finest form of human expression. You don’t need to be a certain person [to appreciate classical music], you just need to be human.”

Hidden above the station and stunned by Ellis’ performance, Mika asked: “Do you think he is aware of how difficult this piece really is?”

An equally impressed Lang Lang replied: “Not really… that’s what I love about him, he’s fearless.”