Take That

Take That: Members: Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, Jason Orange, Howard Donald and Gary Barlow
Home town: Manchester
Record labels: RCA
Career Highlights: 11 number one singles, Best Single, Brit Awards 2007 Highest Charting Singles include: Pray, number one, 1993, Relight My Fire, number one, 1993, Back For Good, number one, 1995, Patience, number one, 2006, Shine, number one, 2007

The most popular teen sensation since the 60s, Take That ruled the charts in the early 90s, pulling fans from the most unlikely places. They were the first band since The Beatles to score four chart-topping singles in a row.

The band’s boyish good looks guaranteed them the love of the teeny-bopper audience, but in a bizarre twist, the more sexy side to their promotional videos drew an older crowd of men and women alike!

Gary Barlow was always the central figure of the band, as lead vocalist and songwriter, and kept the band together for three smash albums. But then the cracks began to show, and Robbie Williams, who had been seduced by the guitar-wielding Brit Pop craze, left the band in 1995 to forge an international solo career.

In 1996 the rest of the band announced they were splitting, and broke millions of hearts. But we all know it wasn’t for good, and in 2005 the lads – minus Robbie – vowed to return.

Since then, the Manchester lads stormed the charts in late 2006 with new single Patience, shooting to number one within two weeks, and winning Best Single at the 2007 Brit Awards.