Five hours of Take That on Radio 2 and BBC Sounds on New Year’s Day
The station will celebrate one of the UK’s best loved bands on the first day of 2023.
As part of the special programmes, there will be a two-hour countdown of listeners’ favourite Top 30 songs to mark the 30th anniversary of the group’s first Number 1 single, Pray, in 1993.
You can vote for up to three of your favourite songs taken from Take That’s Top 75 chart singles. Voting is open now and closes at 11.59pm on Wednesday 14 December.
Cat Deeley will host the live countdown show – The Ultimate Take That Song – on New Year’s Day. The show will also feature the band with new and archive interviews, plus fans such as Olly Murs and Sam Bailey talking about many of the songs which have been voted into the chart.
The band says: “We are so lucky to have the best fans in the world, who have supported us for over 30 years – can you believe it! We’re honoured that Radio 2 are giving them the opportunity to vote for their favourite Take That songs, which our friend Cat will be counting down on New Year’s Day. We’ll be tuning in to find out which song is at Number One!”
Cat says: “I was a Take That fan back in the day and I’m a Take That fan today! So I can’t wait to welcome the first day of 2023 live on Radio 2 by playing two hours of their hits, chatting to the listeners about their own Take That encounters and celebrating a brand new year together.”
In addition to the New Year’s Day Countdown, Take That at the BBC will feature some of the band’s songs and interviews, taken from the BBC Archive.
The programme includes footage ranging from Take That’s first appearance on the 8-15 From Manchester, via Top Of The Pops, The O-Zone, live concert backstage interviews, radio and chat show visits, Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs with Lauren Laverne, to Gary becoming an acclaimed interviewer and specialist presenter himself on Radio 2.
Robbie, Mark, Howard, Jason and Gary can be heard in honest conversation together with many of their songs.
This will be followed by followed by Robbie Williams: My Life Thru A Lens, with Scott Mills in conversation with his pal Robbie. They talk about the 25 years since his debut solo album, from its creation to the eventful twists and turns of his career that followed and right up to the present day.
The pair have been friends since when Scott was a new presenter introducing a new boyband called Take That at a local radio roadshow in 90s. Their conversation includes all of Robbie’s ups and downs as we hear the star as we’ve never heard him before, opening up to his mate.
On BBC Sounds, there will be another chance to hear Gary Barlow: We Write the Songs – with Robbie Williams, My Life In A Mixtape: Mark Owen, Talking Take That, R2 In Concert: Take That from 2014 and Radio 2 In Concert: Robbie from 2020.
Radio 2 should be an essential listen for Take That fans as the New Year begins – don’t forget to vote for your favourite songs!