[2] Barlow is the group's lead singer and primary songwriter, with Owen and Williams initially providing backing vocals, and Donald and Orange serving primarily as dancers.

The group achieved new success as a four-piece, scoring a string of chart hits across the UK and Europe while selling over 45 million records worldwide.

[24] In 1989, Manchester-based Nigel Martin-Smith sought to create a British male vocal singing group modelled on New Kids on the Block.

A budding DJ, he and Barlow had a shared interest in electronic acts such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and Gary Numan.

Martin-Smith also selected 18-year-old bank employee Mark Owen and finally 16-year-old Robbie Williams to round out the group, which initially went by the name Kick It.

As they aimed to break into the mainstream music industry, they worked a number of small clubs, schools, and events across the country building up a fanbase as they travelled to gigs constantly for months.

It was not until their second release from that album, however, that they would experience what would become their biggest hit single, "Back for Good", which reached number one in many countries including the UK, Germany, Australia, and Norway.

Despite the loss of Williams, Take That continued to promote Nobody Else as a four-piece, scoring a further hit single with "Never Forget" with Donald on lead vocals.

[32] Following the band's announcement, millions of their fans were distraught around the world and in the UK alone, teenage girls threatened suicide and were seen lining streets in tears, to the point that telephone hotlines were set up by the Samaritans charity to deal with counselling them.

Barlow is one of only two people to have won an Ivor Novello award during their time in a boy band, with Tony Mortimer whilst in East 17 being the other to have achieved this feat.

[35] Take That had also left a legacy of being immaculate performers with a very high work ethic, causing them to be voted in as the greatest boy band of all time.

On 16 November 2005, the group got back together for the ITV1 documentary Take That: For the Record, in which they aired their views over their fame, success, the split and what the post-Williams line-up had done since.

Take That also accompanied eventual winner Leona Lewis on a live version of "A Million Love Songs" during the final of The X Factor on 16 December 2006.

The band also performed on Children in Need 2008, singing their new single, "Greatest Day", before donating £250,000 to the charity from their Marks and Spencer fee.

[56] This overtook the previous record sales holder, which was Take That's Beautiful World Live tour[56] and stayed at the number 1 spot for 8 weeks.

The statement went on to say, "Following months of speculation Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen, and Robbie Williams confirmed they have been recording a new studio album as a five-piece, which they will release in November.

Their performance of "Kidz", praised by critics,[73] involved a highly choreographed routine featuring dancers dressed in police-styled riot gear bearing the Take That symbol on the uniform and shields.

[13] In August 2012, Take That performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics, despite Barlow announcing that his daughter had been stillborn the previous week.

He continued to write music with his colleagues and has performed with the group on several occasions since 2011's Progress tour[90] and plans on returning at some point in the future.

The band were seen recording the music video in a field in Luton the days leading up the opening night of the Wonderland Live tour.

On 11 November 2017, Take That began their foreign tour in Perth, Australia, the first time they have performed in the country in over twenty years.

[111] In May 2020, Barlow, Donald, and Owen reunited with Williams for a virtual performance from their respective homes, hosted by price comparison website comparethemarket.com, to raise money for the music charity Nordoff Robbins and Crew Nation.

[125] On 10 December 2023, the band headlined the second day of Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball at London's O2 Arena which included a special performance of Relight my Fire with Rita Ora.

The event ran from 17 to 20 October 2024 and featured the band performing the album Everything Changes live in its entirety for the first time since its release in 1993, and their greatest hits.

[131][132] On 20 August 2024, production company Fulwell 73 and Netflix announced a behind the scenes documentary following the band's journey featuring unseen archive and new interviews.

[134] Take That wrote and recorded the theme song "Rule the World" for the film Stardust, directed by Matthew Vaughn, which was released in cinemas across the globe in October 2007.

In November 2010, ITV aired Take That: Look Back, Don't Stare, a black-and-white documentary which focused on the band working together for the first time in 15 years.

[135] On 18 November 2010, Williams and Barlow appeared together live on television for the first time on the Popstars program in Germany singing their hit "Shame".

Since reuniting in 2006, they have become more experimental: their post-2006 albums Beautiful World and The Circus have featured "stadium-filling pop-rock" while Progress largely leaned towards electropop.

[45][139] Having been dubbed the "comeback kings" by the media for their highly successful reunion, the group has won widespread praise for their seamless transformation from teen idols to "man band" without overly relying on nostalgia,[140][141] instead showcasing a more mature image and sound[142][143][144][145][146] and reinventing themselves while maintaining their artistic integrity.