TAKE THAT FACTS

The first official Take That press shot.

What was the name of Take That's first album?

TAKE THAT & PARTY

The album, which reached number two in the UK charts, included hits like It Only Takes a Minute and A Million Love Songs - although it failed to produce any number one singles.

At what famous Greater Manchester recording studio did Gary and Mark meet?

Strawberry Studios, Stockport

Gary had won recording time there after coming third in a local talent contest and Mark worked there as a tea boy.

What was their first number one single in the UK?

Pray

The song was the second single from their sophamore studio album Everything Changes. It stayed at number one for four weeks after it was released on July 5, 1993.

What was the name of the band that Gary and Mark formed before Take That?

The Cutest Rush

The pair played covers as well as some of Gary's songs under this name before changing it to Kick It when Howard, Jason and Robbie came along. They then became Take That and Party briefly before shortening it to just Take That.

How many number one singles have Take That had in the UK to date?

11

Pray, Relight My Fire, Babe, Everything Changes, Sure, Back for Good, Never Forget, How Deep is Your Love, Patience, Shine and Greatest Day all shot to the top spot.

What was the name of the breakdancing crew Jason and Howard formed together before they joined the band?

Street Beat

Jason was a member of famous Manchester crew Street Machine and Howard belonged to a rival group when they met at The Apollo. The two then broke away to form their own crew, Street Beat.

What song do the lyrics 'Got a fist of pure emotion, got a head of shattered dreams' come from?

Back for Good

We don't really know what a fist of pure emotion is but it sure makes for a good interpretative dance move.

At what Manchester club was the band's first TV appearance on The Hitman and Her filmed in 1990?

Discotheque Royale

The band performed unreleased song My Kind of Girl on the show, on which Jason and Howard had previously worked as dancers.

Which other Manchester band originally wrote and recorded How Deep Is Your Love?

The Bee Gees

The brothers, who lived in Chorlton, released the single in 1977. The original peaked at number three in the UK charts but hit number one in the US and Canada.

What was the band's comeback single after they announced they were getting back together in 2006?

Patience

The aptly-named single went straight to number one, 10 years after their last number one, How Deep Is Your Love, in 1996.

Which two band members do not come from Greater Manchester?

Gary and Robbie

Gary was born in Frodsham, Cheshire, while Robbie hails from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. We can claim all the others as our own - Mark is from Oldham, Jason is from Crumpsall and Howard is from Droylsden.

Who is the oldest member of Take That?

Howard

At 46, Howard is two years older than his next-oldest bandmate Jason and six years older than the youngest, Robbie. He was 22 when he joined the band.

In what year did Robbie Williams quit the band?

1995

Robbie's wild partying had been causing friction within the band and they issued him an ultimatum to clean up or quit. Unhappy with not being allowed enough input into their music, he chose the latter and left just before the Nobody Else tour.

And what was his first solo single?

Freedom

Another appropriately-named song, Robbie's cover of the 1990 George Michael hit went straight to number two.

For how many series was Gary Barlow a judge on The X Factor?

Three

Gary replaced Simon Cowell as head judge in 2011 when the record label mogul left to launch the US version of the show. He came back for two more series but announced during last year's first live show that he would not be back in 2014, when he would be focusing on his solo tour and Take That commitments.

What is the band's biggest-selling single to date?

Back for Good

The 1995 hit is one of five Take That singles to have gone platinum, selling more than 350,000 copies in its first week and more than 1.07m to date.

How many Brit Awards have Take That won?

Nine

The boys are officially Manchester's biggest Brits winners, bringing home three more awards than Oasis over the years. Their trophy cabinet includes five Best Single awards for Shine, Pray, Patience, Back for Good and Could It Be Magic as well as Best Group in 2011, Best Live Act in 2008, and Best Video for Pray in 1994. Robbie went on to win 12 more as a solo artist.

In what year did the band split the first time round?

1996

The band finished their world tour and released another single after Robbie's departure but called it a day less than a year later on February 13, 1996. Fans were so distraught that the Samaritans set up a special helpline for them.

Which album was nominated for the Mercury Prize?

Everything Changes

The band were up against the likes of Pulp, Blur and the Prodigy when they were nominated in 1994 - but they were pipped to the prize by fellow Manchester band M People's Elegant Slumming.

What was the first Take That single to be released featuring Robbie after he rejoined the band?

The Flood

The song was released as the lead single from sixth studio album Progress on November 7, 2010. Robbie joined his old bandmates on tour the following year, which included eight nights at Manchester's Etihad Stadium. The tour became the fastest-selling tour of all time.