Take That: Everything you need to know about the 90s heartthrobs
A Netflix documentary is being made about them
Selling more records than any other English group since The Beatles, Take That gave pop music a massive shot in the arm and became the biggest British boy band of the 1990s.
Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald reinvented themselves along with former member Jason Orange in the 2000s following their success in the 1990s as a five-piece with Robbie Williams, who quit to pursue a solo career. Jason left for a quiet life a few years ago and the band carried on as a trio.
The lads have had an incredibly busy 12 months - releasing their ninth album 'This Life' as well as announcing their UK tour. Let's Never Forget their musical film Greatest Days, plus a documentary called 30 Years in The Making and another one from Netflix. They've even put out more music, releasing 'You and Me' in March 2024. Get to know the history of Take That right here...
Ninth album and world tour
Take That's ninth studio album was released on 24th November 2023 and is called 'This Life'.
The band also announced a huge tour for 2024, called 'This Life on Tour' which will see them performing in Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, London, Glasgow and Birmingham.
This news follows the band teasing something special, when they posted photos from an iconic recording studio in New York which was set up by Jimi Hendrix in 1970, shortly before his death.
What is Take That's new single?
'All Wrapped Up' is Take That's latest song, they announced it on 26th April 2024. The band shared details of their new song, posting the details on social media, writing: 'Surprise 🙌🏻 Our new single "All Wrapped Up" is out today. Taken from the Deluxe Edition of our latest album "This Life" which features brand new tracks and exclusive versions of old favourites, from us, to say thank you all for your incredible continued love and support 💙 Listen to the track now and pre-save/pre-order the album, out May 24th - link in bio'. (sic)
Fans couldn't believe their luck with a new single, one commented: 'ON REPEAT! This song makes me super emotional 🥺🫶🏻', another said: 'Marks vocals just get better and better 🔥'.
'You and Me'
On Thursday 28th March 2024, Take That released a song called 'You and Me', which is the band's first single since the release of their ninth studio album.
'You and Me' is classic Take That - an uplifting track with beautifully blended harmonies ready-made for stadium and arena singalongs.
Listen to 'You and Me' below:
'The Greatest Weekend' festival
Take That have announced a special four-day event called 'The Greatest Weekend', which will take place in Malta from 17th-20th October 2024. The band are set to perform their 'Everything Changes' album in full at the event, in addition to a greatest hits set.
There will also be a host of special guests at the event, including Sugababes, Ella Henderson, Gok Wan, Sam Ryder, Daniel Bedingfield and Heather Small.
Fans can sign up to get pre-sale access for tickets via The Greatest Weekend website. To get early access, you must sign up by 5pm on Monday 8th April. The general ticket sale will take place at 10am on Friday 12th April.
Who is in the band?
The five-headed, 10-legged hit machine that was Take That, was originally made up of members Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and, of course, Robbie Williams. Currently the line-up is Gary, Mark and Howard.
Where are Take That from?
The band are predominantly from areas around Manchester; but specifically, Gary is from Frodsham in Cheshire, Howard is from Droylsden in Lancashire, Mark is from Oldham in Lancashire, Robbie is from Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire and Jason is from Crumpsall in Manchester.
How did Take That form?
They initially came together as trio of Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams and Mark Owen under the name The Cutest Rush. Both Gary and Robbie had showbiz backgrounds – Gary had played organ for Ken Dodd, while Robbie’s mum and dad had been a singer and a comedian respectively.
Mark, on the other hand, had tried out for Manchester United, but failed to make the team. Take That were assembled by original manager Nigel Martin Smith when Gary, Mark and Robbie were joined by Jason Orange and Howard Donald from the breakdancing troupe, Street Machine.
The band formed in Manchester in 1990, the group were led by songwriter and lead singer Gary Barlow. Robbie Williams and Mark Owen provided backing vocals at first, while Howard Donald and Jason Orange were the more physical wing of the group by acting mainly as dancers.
How did Take That get famous?
Originally conceived as Britain’s answer to New Kids On The Block, Take That began their career by touring the gay clubs of the UK. Given their good looks, it was an astute move by Nigel Martin Smith, and the risqué video for ‘Do What U Like’ created something of stir thanks to the semi-naked lads wrestling in trifle.
The band went properly ‘over ground’ with the release of their fourth single, a cover of Tavares’ ‘It Only Takes A Minute’, which reached Number 7 in 1992. Their debut album, ‘Take That & Party’ swiftly followed and peaked at Number 2. It would remain in the UK Top 75 album charts for an incredible 73 weeks.
What was Take That's first song?
Their first-ever single release was 'Do What U Like' in 1991, and their first album was 'Take That & Party', released on 17th August 1992.
How many Number 1 singles have Take That had?
The band have had a massive 12 Number 1 singles in the UK. Their first Number 1 was ‘Pray’ back in 1993 and their most recent Number 1 was ‘These Days’ in 2014. They've also had six Number 1 albums out of the eight they have released since 1992.
They scored four consecutive Number 1s in the UK singles charts with ‘Pray’, ‘Relight My Fire’ (featuring a guest appearance from the fabulous Lulu), ‘Babe’ and Everything Changes’.
Their next single, ‘Love Ain’t Here Anymore’, only managed to get to Number 3, but that’s only because it was the sixth single to be taken from their second album, ‘Everything Changes’, the third highest-selling album of 1993.
It was business as usual when their next four songs – ‘Sure’, ‘Back For Good’, ‘Never Forget’ and ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ – were sent rocketing to the top of the charts. Meanwhile, Take That’s third studio album, ‘Nobody Else’, debuted at Number 1 and sold 163, 399 copies in its first week. It’s since gone on to sell six million copies worldwide.
When did Robbie Williams leave Take That?
With the band at the height of their popularity, Robbie quit in June 1995 to embark on a solo career.
When did Take That split up?
The remaining members of the group carried on, but announced their decision to call it a day on 13th February 1996. So distressed were their fans, that the government promptly set up a telephone helpline to help them cope.
When did Take That reunite?
Following varying degrees of solo success, the 2005 compilation album, ‘Never Forget: The Ultimate Collection’ was released. Selling over 2.3 million copies and hitting Number 2 in the UK album chart, it was pretty obvious that interest in the band was still there.
And so, 10 years after they announced their split, Take That reformed as a quartet, without Robbie. Their comeback album, ‘Beautiful World’ went to Number 1 and the single, ‘Patience’, held the top spot for four weeks.
Then they released ‘Shine’, their 10th chart-topper, which made them one of only seven acts in UK chart history to achieve more than nine Number 1 hit singles. They embarked on the highly successful stadium tour 'Beautiful World Tour 2007', followed by the 'Take That Present: The Circus Live' tour and their popularity was as big as ever.
Robbie rejoined the band in July 2010 after 15 years away, performing on the band's sixth album, 'Progress', released in November 2010, and went on tour for the 'Progress Live' tour. He left the band once again in 2011.
In April 2023, after Take That's social media channels started posting several videos and photos of the group with five members, fans thought they could be about to announce a reunion with the full line-up, however that wasn't to be.
Despite not having a full reunion, Robbie and Mark did reunite on stage, for the first time in many years. The pair sang the Take That song 'Greatest Day'.
When did Jason Orange leave Take That?
Jason Orange was an original member from the beginning, but on 24th September 2014, it was announced that he had left the band. A statement on the band’s official website said: ‘I want to start by saying how proud I am of what we have achieved together over the years.
'However, at a band meeting last week I confirmed to Mark, Gary and Howard that I do not wish to commit to recording and promoting a new album. I have spent some of the best years of my life with Take That and I’d like to thank everyone who has been a part of my journey, including my band mates, who I feel are like brothers to me.
'Most especially my gratitude goes to all of the good and kind, beautiful and ever-loyal fans of the band, without whom none of this could have been possible. Thank you.’
Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that he will reunite with Take That any time soon, especially given that he didn't take part in the latest reunion during the Coronavirus lockdown. On Loose Women in 2018, former bandmate Howard Donald said that Jason has "gone off the grid."
Is Robbie Williams rejoining Take That?
In 2017, Robbie hinted that he might reunite with Mark Owen, Gary Barlow and Howard Donald, viewers of The X Factor were later treated to a surprise on the final show, when Robbie Williams reunited with Take That on stage.
After many rumours, Take That performed during the final of The X Factor WITH Robbie Williams. Mark Owen, Gary Barlow and Howard Donald first performed their 2007 hit 'Shine', before their former member Robbie Williams, who had been sitting with the other judges, joined them on stage to sing one of their early hits, 'Everything Changes'.
In 2018, rumours circulated that Robbie could be due to join the band again for their 30th anniversary tour. Appearing on Lorraine, along with the other X Factor judges, his wife, Ayda Williams (née Field), Louis Tomlinson and Simon Cowell, Robbie was also asked if he would reunite with his former bandmates.
Robbie replied: "Am I getting back with Take That? I'm sure at some point, but there's nothing in the diary."
Despite nothing being confirmed, Robbie addressed the possibility of him joining his former group in the future. In December 2018, Robbie revealed: "As long as we stay healthy, I’m sure there’ll be another moment where we all get together. Maybe we can coax Jason back, who knows? We shall have to see. But definitely, definitely in the future. We will all ride again."
Are Take That still together?
They are, albeit with a truncated line-up as Robbie Williams went back to his solo career and Jason Orange quit in 2014.
But we need not worry! Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald decided to continue and released the albums ‘III’, ‘Wonderland’ and 'This Life' in 2014, 2017 and 2023 respectively.
When did Take That release 'Odyssey'?
As well as announcing their 30th anniversary tour, Take That also released ‘Odyssey’ a re-imagined greatest hits album, taking you through the incredible history of one of the UK’s most successful bands of all time. Their success has just been reconfirmed with the presentation of their platinum discs for their latest album.
Taking to Twitter the band told their fans: 'Whilst in London we were presented with our platinum discs for #Odyssey and we couldn’t be prouder. To be 1 of only 4 artists to achieve this from last year’s sales is incredible... it simply wouldn’t be possible without all of you. So, thank you x #TT30'.
In September 2018 Gary Barlow revealed some details about the album, which celebrated their 30th anniversary. Taking to Twitter, Gary said: 'Our Greatest hits album is now finished and mastered. Every track has had a face lift. Some have been completely re recorded. 3 brand new songs. There’s guests and lots of interesting links between songs. What a journey #TT30'.
When was Take That's 'Greatest Hits' tour?
Take That announced that they would be going on tour again back in March 2018, when Gary said: "We're planning a world tour next year."
Howard added: "We're recreating some of the songs for the 'Greatest Hits'. We've got three new songs that we're going to put on the 'Greatest Hits'. We want to go to all of the territories that we've never been to before, like South America."
The tour began on Friday 12th April 2019 in Sheffield, and continued through to 30th June, in Zürich, Switzerland, totalling up 52 shows. In the run up they tweeted a photo of themselves practising for their tour; the black and white photo shows Mark Owen, Gary Barlow and Howard Donald standing around a microphone, looking at their phones.
Take That musical Greatest Days UK and Ireland tour
Greatest Days - The Official Take That musical headed on a new UK and Ireland tour in 2023. The musical featured many of Take That's hit songs and tells the story of a group of five best friends in the 1990s who are obsessed with their favourite boy band.
More than 20 years later, the friends reunite with a plan to see their heartthrobs one last time in what could be the Greatest Days of their lives.
Take That's film
Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald executive produced a musical film called Greatest Days, based on their jukebox production The Band, which ran in 2017. The film was released in UK cinemas on Friday 16th June.
Is there a Take That documentary?
There is also a Take That documentary called 30 Years in The Making, which is available on ITVX. The documentary is designed as a companion piece to the film and also follows the film's production and the problems they encounter.
Another documentary from Netflix has also been announced. The new documentary will be a series and feature interviews with former members Jason Orange and Robbie Williams.
What is Gary Barlow's biggest regret from his time in Take That?
Gary revealed in an interview showed on a Christmas special of Lorraine in 2022, that his biggest regret about his time with Take That was not living in the moment. He explained: "Everyone always has their different role and I was the worrier. It’s my only regret looking back, is that I wish I was in the moment more.
"I’m always thinking about tomorrow... what do we do next year? Big plans? Always planning ahead, and I don't ever really enjoy the moment."
Gary Barlow's Wine Company
Gary Barlow excited fans when he announced that he was taking on a new venture on 7th October 2021. He revealed the brand new company called Gary Barlow Wines and posted a photo of himself holding a glass of wine, sitting next to a branded bottle on his Instagram.
He wrote: 'Did anybody guess correctly? I've been very excited to share this project with you all... My most memorable evenings are spent with good friends and family. They are full of laughter and, of course, great wine. So, I’m thrilled to announce that @garybarlowwines is here ! 🍷 Head over for more…. !'
Fans were thrilled and showed their support for Gary, some people were very keen to get their hands on a bottle of his wine!
What's Gary Barlow up to?
Gary Barlow, as part of Take That is prepping for their new tour. He's also going to be filming a new food and travel show which will air on ITV in Autumn 2024, and said of the show: "I’m absolutely delighted to be exploring my passion for food, wine and travel in this new series for ITV.
"I’ve always loved South Africa and I can’t wait to really see all that it has to offer: the people, the places, its amazing history… and a glass or two of its incredible wine! This series is something that’s a bit different for me – but I can’t wait to get going."
What's Howard Donald up to?
Outside of his work as part of Take That, Howard Donald has been relatively quiet in recent years. In 2021 he took part in The Masked Dancer, competing as Zip and did very well for himself - making it to the final! This will come as no surprise to fans who know that Howard initially joined the group as a dancer. Whilst he sadly didn't win the show, he still finished in a strong third place.
What's Mark Owen up to?
Mark Owen released his fifth solo album on 23rd September 2022, the singer shared details of 'Land of Dreams' on social media, writing: 'Land of Dreams - out now!!!
'Finally get to say those words.... I am so pleased to announce that Land of Dreams is now officially yours. Enjoy my friends, and thank you for taking the journey with me.
'Love always
'Mark xxx'.
Since announcing the album's release, Take That's official account replied: 'Dreamy Land of Dreams 💙', and Gary Barlow retweeted Mark saying: 'Congratulations on your fantastic album @OfficialMarkO ! #LandOfDreams'.
Take a look at Take That through the years:
1989
Starting with a line-up of five young men, Take That consisted of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams, with the original (short lived) name of Kick It.
1991
Take That's original line-up of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Thankfully they changed their name and after a few unsuccessful songs in the early 90s Take That's breakthrough hit 'It Only Takes A Minute' was released. The song was a cover of a 1975 song by Taveres and reached number 7 in the charts.
1992
In 1992 Take That had hits with 'A Million Love Songs' and 'Could It Be Magic'. The boys' follow-up single 'Could It Be Magic' quickly propelled them to super-stardom with a string of number 1s not far away.
1993
Take That had huge success in 1993 with 'Pray', 'Relight My Fire' (featuring Lulu) and 'Babe'.
1994
The band's success continued in 1994 with 'Everything Changes' and 'Sure'. Here they are performing at The BRITs 1994.
1995
However, in July 1995 after countless hits, fans heard the devastating news; Robbie Williams would be leaving the band following friction with other band members. Robbie later admitted in a TV documentary in 2005, that he did some "stupid stuff" after parting ways with the band over 20 years ago, but said he didn't regret it because he was young.
1995
The remaining members of Take That continued to perform as a quartet.
1996
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange performed at The BRITs in 1996. The remaining group of four continued to tour and release songs for another year, releasing 'Never Forget' and the Bee Gees cover 'How Deep Is Your Love', finally announcing they would be disbanding in February 1996. 'How Deep Is Your Love' became the band's final number 1 before they reformed 10 years later.
Late 90's
During the late 90s three of the band members, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams, enjoyed solo singing careers with varying degrees of success. Jason Orange went into acting and Howard Donald, despite being the lead singer on a number of Take That songs, made a name for himself as a club DJ across Europe.
2005
Skip nearly a decade and ITV reunited the group for a documentary called Take That: For the Record in which the former members of the boyband were interviewed, discussing how they were discovered and looking back at their experiences in the band.
2005
Following the successful reception of the documentary by fans and the press, the decision was made to reunite with the 'post Robbie' line-up and a 2006 tour titled the 'The Ultimate Tour' was announced. After a break of nearly 10 years, Take That members Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange reformed in 2005.
2006
Take That performed on The X Factor in 2006. In 2006 they had a Number 1 single with 'Patience'. Gone were the cheesy pop tunes of the 90s, Take That had grown up with their fans and the men, now in their 30s revealed a much more mature sound, with their 2006 comeback single 'Patience'. The song quickly hit the top spot in the UK and around Europe becoming the eighth best-selling single of 2006 spending a massive 11 weeks in the top 10.
2007
In 2007 Take That embarked on their 'Beautiful World' tour. Since their reunion as a four-piece, it was clear that they hadn't lost the momentum they had in the 90s with another string of hits including 'Shine', 'Rule the World' and 'Greatest Day'.
2009
After the release of fifth album 'The Circus' in December 2008, the boys headed out on their 'Take That Present: The Circus Live' tour to promote it - and what a spectacle it was! Tickets to the entire tour sold it in less than five hours, making it the fastest-selling tour in UK history.
2010
Robbie Williams made an unexpected return to the group in 2010, joining forces with Gary Barlow - the first time since 1995 - writing a song that would feature on both Take That and Robbie's albums. Then, later that year, the news that all Take That fans had been waiting for was confirmed, the original line-up would be reforming for the wildly successful album, 'Progress' and its live tour. Their lead single 'The Flood' was released and peaked at number 2 featuring both Gary and Robbie as lead vocals.
2011
Following the band's 'Progress Live' tour in 2011 they then decided to take a break.
2014
A couple of years later Take That reformed as a group to record their seventh studio album, but it was short-lived, in 2014 both Robbie and Jason decided to leave. Robbie had recently become a dad for the second time and saying he would find it difficult "logistically". The band continued as a trio made up of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen.
2017
Take That returned earlier this year with their new album 'Wonderland' and their single 'Giants' which peaked at number 13. 'Giants' was written by the remaining three members of Take That along with some co-writers and the lyric video can be seen below.
2019
After celebrating Take That's 30th anniversary in 2019, the band put out a Greatest Hits album called 'Odyssey', which featured song "re-imagined with new arrangements and production". It debuted at Number 1, and the group embarked on a huge UK tour in 2019.
May 2020
Take That reunited with former member Robbie Williams for a very special performance in May 2020 during the lockdown amid the global pandemic of Coronavirus, performing a 40-minute set.
June 2020
The band's musical film Greatest Day was confirmed in June 2020! Although it had been in the pipeline for a couple of years, things started to get in motion in the summer, which is based on the jukebox musical The Band, containing Take That songs.
November 2020
Gary released his fifth solo studio album on 27th November, 'Music Played By Humans', which debuted at Number 1 in the UK! It features singles 'Elita' featuring Michael Bublé and Sebastián Yatra, 'Incredible' and 'This Is My Time'. Other album tracks feature vocals from the likes of Beverley Knight, Alesha Dixon and James Corden among others.
2021
On 7th October 2021, Gary surprised fans with the announcement that he was launching his own wine company. He shared photos from his new company Gary Barlow Wines on his social media.
2021
In October 2021, Gary announced his first Christmas album 'The Dream Of Christmas' would come out on 26th November. The album includes new songs like 'How Christmas Is Supposed To Be' as well as Gary's take on some classic tunes.
'Sleigh Ride' and 'The Dream Of Christmas' were released on 28th October ahead of the album.
2022
In January 2022, Gary Barlow announced he would be putting on a theatre performance show called 'A Different Stage', with dates being added throughout the year.
2022: Take That attend the Cannes Film Festival
Howard Donald, Gary Barlow and Mark Owen attend the Cannes Film Festival in the south of France in support of Greatest Days, the musical movie inspired by Take That, featuring their songs.
2022: Mark Owen teases future plans
Mark told PA that he, Gary and Howard had been working remotely to make music for their ninth album, adding that a tour could follow suit: "We have been talking. We have got a movie coming out next year. And we have been talking obviously about a new record and when that will be and what kind of thing that will be.
"So those kinds of conversations are open and always a part of the background. It is always there in my head. I am always thinking."
2023: Take That performed at the Coronation Concert
Gary, Howard and Mark performed at Windsor Castle as part of the Coronation Concert on 7th May 2023. According to a press release, former members Robbie Williams and Jason Orange were offered the opportunity to reunite with the band for the occasion, however they did not appear during the concert.
Speaking about the performance, the current line-up of Take That said: "This will be our first live show since the 'Odyssey' Tour, four years ago in 2019, and what a stage to come back on. A huge live band and orchestra, a choir, military drummers, the backdrop of Windsor Castle and the celebration of a new King. We can't wait."
Taking to Twitter to share footage of their performance following the concert, Take That later assured fans that there will be more to come from the group. The band wrote: 'It was incredible to perform live together again for the first time in 4 years and there is so much more to come. We're back for good.'
2023: Take That documentary
On 14th June a Take That documentary called 30 Years in The Making was released on ITVX. The documentary is designed to accompany the musical film Greatest Days, which was in cinemas from 16th June.
2023: Take That announce tour and release ninth album
Take That released their ninth studio album called 'This Life' on 24th November. They have also announced a tour in support of the album for 2024.
2024: Take That release new single 'You and Me'
At the end of March 2024, Take That released a brand new single called 'You and Me' to celebrate their upcoming 'This Life on Tour' shows.
2024: Take That announce 'The Greatest Weekend' festival
Take That have announced a special four-day event called 'The Greatest Weekend', which will take place in Malta in October 2024. The event will include two performances from the band, in addition to appearances from special guests, a pool party and nightclub events.
Fellow artists on the line-up include Sugababes, Ella Henderson, Sam Ryder, Daniel Beddingfield and Heather Small, with more to be announced.
2024: Take That join Lulu on tour in Manchester
Surprising fans, Take That joined Lulu while she was on tour in Manchester, on her 'Champagne For Lulu' tour. They performed their 1993 hit 'Relight My Fire'.
2024: Take That Netflix documentary announced
In August 2024, Netflix announced a new Take That documentary was in the works. The series, which has not been named, will feature unprecedented insight into the band, and include interviews with former members Jason Orange and Robbie Williams.
Make sure you listen to Downtown Radio to hear all of Take That's hit songs!
Now read:
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Gary Barlow confirms Take That's movie musical Greatest Days will be released in 2021 🎬