The stars descended on London’s Battersea Power Station yesterday for the premiere of Take That, a three-part eponymous Netflix documentary series detailing the boy band’s meteoric rise and 35 year history. But superfan Hannah Britt enjoyed herself more than most…
Hannah, now 36, is a Take That superfan who shared a smooch with Take That member Jason Orange when she was 19
It was time to Take That and Party last night at the premier of the band’s new self-titled Netflix documentary. To date, the band have racked up 12 UK No.1 singles, 9 No.1 albums, over 45 million records sold worldwide, multiple Brit Awards, and millions upon millions of fans around the world.
I’m one of them. You see, tucked away in my loft is a crumpled Take That T-shirt, threadbare because as a youngster it was the only thing I wanted to wear. I’ve been a massive fan of the boyband for as long as I can remember, ever since my older sister Emily lent me her tapes to play. And I’m not alone, as Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams were something of a pop culture phenomenon. And when I was 19 I was even lucky enough to enjoy a smooch with a dishy Jason Orange, tucked away in a dark booth in a bar in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
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Now a 36-year-old mum of two, I dust off this story every now and again after a fizz or two at parties, although I must say this is the first time admitting it in newsprint. But you can imagine how nonchalant I was when invited to last night’s glittering event. Gary, Howard and Mark were there, and every bit as charming, warm and generous with their time as a fan could hope. My former flame, who left Take That for a quiet life in 2014, and Robbie Williams, whose latest album Britpop was released this month, were not in attendance.
Pucker up! Hannah at 19 – the year she snogged Jason Orange
The Mirror talked exclusively to Gary, Mark and Howard at the event. “There is footage in there that people won’t have seen. After 35 years of videos we still have stuff up our sleeve,” says Howard. Gary adds: “That to me was the most surprising thing. I thought I’d seen everything. We’ve had documentaries made, we’ve been followed round the world. But watching this back there were pieces of footage where I thought, ‘I don’t even remember being there’.”
Now 55 (Gary), 54 (Mark) and 57 (Howard), who were formed as Take That in Manchester in 1990, with former members Jason Orange (55) and Robbie Williams (51) the laugh-out-loud documentary shows the band growing up together in screaming technicolour.
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen at last night’s event(Image: Lia Toby/Getty Image for Netflix)
“The biggest misconception of Take That is that we’re still a boy band,” jokes Mark of their ascending years. But also that we’ve worked hard to get to where we are. We really care.” And Gary says: “I’m hoping people see the work that has gone into the last 35 years when they watch this. It’s definitely not been easy.”
And indeed the doc follows the highs and lows of being the most famous fivesome on the planet, peppered with tales of bust-ups, booze and bulimia. Following the band’s break up in 2006, Gary struggled with his weight, grappling with an eating disorder, and previously saying of his experience that he was in a “hole” and “trying to kill off the pop star” Gary Barlow. Netflix’s Take That doesn’t shy away from the dark days, making its depiction of the band’s comeback in 2006 Shine even more.
Gary Barlow suffered from an eating disorder following the break up of Take That(Image: Netflix)
It was a night to Never Forget and in attendance last night was Take That superfan Amanda Holden, who told us she was “giddy” to be at the event. And we caught up with Formula One legend Daid Coulthard too, who said he was “backing Mercedes to do well” in the upcoming season. “They’ve got the magic formula, you just wait,” he told me. Elsewhere, James Cordon, snuck in to support the band, and TV presenter Joel Dommet posed up for snaps.
Already at number one on the Netflix chart, Take That features never-before-seen footage and new interviews with all five band members. Directed by David Soutar, the man behind Ed Sheeran: The Sum of it All, and Sunderland till I die, it takes viewers on a journey into the band’s rise to fame, Robbie’s 1995 departure, and their eventual reunion and chart success.
High energy and high drama, it’s as frenetic as the band’s early days themselves. It’s visually stunning, with footage recorded by the band on hand held camcorders, interwoven throughout and overlaid with 1990s style lettering, the likes of Smash Hits magazine.
Hannah chats to Take That at the premier of their new Netflix documentary
Director David Soutar told the Mirror: “When we first started talking to Take That they told us they had an Ikea bag of unseen tapes. It turned up and there were 52 old handycam tapes from the 90s that they’d filmed themselves. That was the starting point for the documentary.
“In the footage they gave us, there’s a moment where the band are about to go on stage in Munich, and they’re singing Back For Good acapella, Jason on the guitar. You see all the personalities come together, it’s pure pop magic. They’re masters of what they do. These songs have been ever present in our lives for four decades now.”
And executive producer Gabe Turner told the Mirror: “They’ve been relevant for 35 years. What other bands do you know that were massive in the 90s, but then came back and instead of just doing a ‘greatest hits’, produce better music than they did the first time round, do stadium tours and then stay in the national conversation until present day?”
The Mirror also caught up with F1 legend David Coulthard last night (Image: Lia Toby/Getty Image for Netflix)
Take That, whose inevitable breakup in 1996, following Robbie’s departure the previous July, hit fans so hard a helpline was set up. Gary said last night: “We used to all get in a van together, but that day we left in separate cars. I watched the breakup unfold on the news from home and pretty much for a few years we didn’t really see each other.”
In the documentary, Howard’s anger is tangible. “We’d done it for six years, and all of a sudden when something stops that you enjoy doing, it was mixed emotions. Anger, sadness, go to the job centre to see what to do next. I tried to get the band back together.”
Gary adds: “Yes, it was ‘Tell them we were joking!’” But Mark says: “The break up had to happen in many ways. It helped us when we came back to really appreciate it and be really grateful for each other. And our fans have stuck with us for years and years, that even when we break up they’re there waiting for us.”
Hannah and her fellow Take That superfan sister, Emily Britt
So I’m pleased to report that 2026 may just be Take That’s biggest year yet. The much anticipated The Circus Live for Summer 2026 tour kicks off at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton on 29 May. And there’s new music on the way.
Gary says: “It’s going to be a big year for us. We’ve been writing for the last 12 months, we’ve just started to record. There will be new music at the end of the year, maybe a few new songs while we’re on tour. And we’re so proud of the Take That documentary. It feels like a celebration of the past and a glimpse of the future.” Could it be magic? I certainly thought it was.
*Take That is on Netflix now
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