A band’s rise, split and return
Take That follows the group from its early beginnings as a five-piece in Manchester through pop stardom, separation and reunion. The three-part documentary connects the public history of the band with the members’ personal experiences. Its central story concerns both the intensity of success and the resilience involved in returning after a split.
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams are the figures at the centre of that history. Netflix specifically identifies new interviews with Gary, Howard and Mark among the material.
Thirty-five years of material
The production draws on 35 years of archive, previously unseen footage and personal material. This gives it a range of perspectives across different phases of the band’s life. A performance or public appearance can be placed alongside material that records a less formal moment, bringing the public and private histories into the same account.
Editors Livia Serpa and Jamie Tucker worked on all three episodes for just under a year, according to their editorial agency. Their account describes the task of combining the extensive archive with contemporary interviews. That production history helps explain the role of editing in turning decades of material into a coherent series.
Success measured through experience as well as records
The group’s achievements include 12 UK number-one singles and more than 45 million records sold worldwide. Those figures provide a scale for the phenomenon, while the documentary turns towards the highs, heartbreaks and personal experiences surrounding it. The narrative is concerned with what that career felt like from within.
David Soutar directs the series, with Fulwell Entertainment producing. The editors’ production account describes a combination of candid new interviews, previously unreleased footage and a 35-year archive, assembled into all three episodes over a collaboration lasting just under a year.
