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IT’S the evening of Children In Need and I’m in the middle of a cluster of people hanging outside a certain dressing room at BBC Studios.

I’ve already suffered an elbow jab in the ribs as the crowd — mainly female — jostle to get a glimpse of the biggest pop band in the country.

Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald are to present Children In Need with a cheque for (their fee from their Marks & Spencer advert) and perform new single Greatest Day.

But first there are photograph requests, autograph pleas and star-struck gawping to deal with.

New album ... hitting a high

New album ... hitting a high

When a BBC employee arrives with more champagne for next door’s dressing room, he is nearly rugby-tackled to the floor by the band’s bodyguard James.

Take That are big business — even bigger than before. Their 2009 stadium tour is the fastest-selling UK tour of all time, shifting Ј35million of tickets in one day.

After a stern eye and some quizzing by the bodyguard, SFTW is allowed in to meet the nation’s most famous boyband — now a middle-aged manband — who are in their finest form physically and musically.

“What the hell is going on next door?” asks an ever-smiling Mark as shrieks from Girls Aloud’s dressing room boom through the walls.

“They’re polishing off champagne while we’re sat here drinking coffee and water,” says Howard shaking his head. “Something is wrong.”

“It’s like when I went to see the Spice Girls in Manchester,” says Jason. “They all had separate dressing rooms — one each!”

Gary says: “Well, guys, that sounds like the way forward to me. Separate dressing rooms and no talking to each other until stage time. What do you think?”

Of course, Gary, 37, is joking. Relations in the Take That camp are at an all-time high.

Dazzler

Making fifth album, The Circus, their second since their comeback, has been a labour of love.

Gary says: “It was a bit like a running race last time. We were trying to keep up with it all, as well as dealing with being back as a band. This time it was easier.

“We just loved every minute of it and had fun together. There are no rows in Take That. I don’t even know if we could ever insult each other.”

If Beautiful World saw Gary relinquish the chief songwriter reins, then The Circus establishes Take That as a “real band” even more.

All four members are involved with the music and singing leads on the album. Gary and Mark, 36, who has come into his own as a songwriter, share equal leads.

Howard, 40, is the main singer on What Is Love and the folky Here while 38-year-old Jason takes the lead on the all-out pop dazzler How Did It Come To This.

Howard says: “Deciding who sings which lead or parts is a bit like Big Brother. You have to take another member of the band into the corner and talk to them, going against another member. It’s all about ganging up.”

Mark adds: “Howard said he didn’t want any leads this time round. He said, ‘I don’t want any lead vocals, any of the singles,’ though he sounds great on What Is Love and Here.”

Howard laughs: “I honestly didn’t, Otherwise, I would have been singing all the ones Mark sings!

“I try to get more involved in the harmonies than anything else. I love the melodic side of our songs. Even when it comes to the lyrics, I take a back seat.

“I sometimes get frustrated with writing lyrics, especially as these guys find it so easy. I have to take some time out to go and play the drums until I calm down.”

The Circus is Take That’s most credible record to date. There are big show songs such as Hello, plus lush ballads including Said It All and soaring anthemic choruses like their new single Greatest Day.

Gary says: “The album was called The Circus because the title visually connected the tour, the stadium sound and the big arms in the air. We’re planning something extra-special.

“It made sense to call the album The Circus even though it’s really the antithesis of the actual song. The song is downbeat and about a best man at a wedding I went to about three years ago.

“He had just split up with his partner and got drunk.

“When he got up to make his speech he basically talked about himself for five minutes and how he’d ruined his life. Everyone was dying.”

It’s the four different personalities in Take That which make it work so well, keep them grounded and make them all such likeable individuals.

There are new babies on the way for Mark and Gary in a week and seven weeks respectively. Both are excited but, although they know whether they are having a boy or a girl, they will not let on.

Gary says: “I had to know because what if I decorated the nursery the wrong colour. I’m not bloody doing it again.”

Jason and Howard both admit to being worriers still, while Gary and Mark seem to take the lead, pushing things as much as possible.

Jason says: “I still worry if we’re good enough — that we’re not working together well enough and about our own group dynamics.

“I worry if the material is good enough and I’ll even worry about not having anything to worry about. I struggle sometimes to be free, to enjoy it and ride with it.

Back in the day ... Take That 12 years ago

Back in the day ... Take That 12 years ago

“I just think it’s fundamental to us being here that we work hard, know we’re doing a good job — but it’s not like we don’t deserve all this.

“We’re not as special as some people might believe.

“We are just genuine really. I know we have all these people around us, this circus, but take them away and you’ll see.”

Mark laughs: “Jay is our quality control man. There’s always a ‘but’.”

Howard says: “I’d say Gary’s really the only one that’s always 100 per cent. Like when the tickets for the tour went on sale, I wasn’t really that positive that they were going to sell out.

“I always wonder when the bubble is going to burst. But Gaz just believes in us. He knows.”

So when there are tensions, what happens? Jason says: “Two of us go quiet, another paces up and down. But Gaz, he’s very sort of determined and more forthright. Sometimes I think he’s racing ahead as much as I’m sure he thinks I’m slowing things down. Then we all agree.”

Gary says: “I think the reason we get the results we do is because these days we study every detail of each song.

“Sometimes that means 33 takes of a vocal but it works. It’s completely new to us and we were never like that before. Then, we used to amble on stage not even knowing what we were singing!

“I don’t mean this in an arrogant way at all — but I think we’re in a league of our own now.

“Before our comeback, when we were around the first time, I’d always say another band could come along and be better than us and replace us at any time. And maybe they did.

“But I don’t think they can now. This is years of history and so we treat it with respect. There’s no rush any more.”

All four have suffered a roller- coaster ride in fortunes since Take That called it a day at a press conference in February 1996.

While helplines were set up for suicidal fans, the doubters mocked that the four couldn’t really cut it without Robbie Williams, who had quit a year earlier.

Gary went on to enjoy solo success with his album Open Road in 1997 but was dropped after its follow up Twelve Months, Eleven Days was less successful. He went on to write for Atomic Kitten, Blue and Delta Goodrem.

Mark had limited solo success and won Celebrity Big Brother in 2002, while Howard failed to land a solo record deal but carved a career as a successful DJ, which he still does when he has the time.

Glory

Only Jason quit music properly, winning small acting roles as well as going back to college to study psychology and sociology. He also travelled the world for two years.

Mark says: “It has made us appreciate all this for sure. We still can’t believe it, if we’re honest. We had gone to the other side and seen the downside of it all. So now we bring that experience into it.

“I think we really value this, and we’re really grateful to be here. We do look at each other and say, ‘Oh God, what’s happening? Can you believe this?’ ”

Jason says: “We thought that would be it in the Nineties, and we’ve come back to all this glory.”

Gary says: “I think the reason we are still here and talking to you today about our new album is that our music is good. Simple as that. If it were even just a bit c**p, then we never would have had this second chance.”

Since their comeback in 2006, after a decade away, they have surpassed the achievements of the old Take That.

Sales have gone through the roof and they have picked up Brit Awards for Best British Single for Patience and this year for Best Live Act, as well as an Ivor Novello award for most performed work for Shine.

So they have proved that it works as a four, yet the question of Robbie’s return, who the band — including Gary — are all on good terms with, keeps cropping up.

Gary says: “It’s funny as I’ve noticed people are less obsessed with that now. It still crops up but not as much, which is good. We love Robbie but people see us as a four-piece now.

“We’ve proved ourselves as this band here today.”

So how long can it last?

Howard says: “Who knows? We’re just enjoying the moment.

Mark adds: “I guess it depends how long we hold up for really, especially our knees.”

Gary laughs: “Nah, lads. Forget the knees. We won’t be stopping when they go. That’s when we simply start using stools on stage instead.”
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/sftw/article1954224.ece