Take That are getting their own Netflix documentary series and the trailer for the three parter is up online now.
The series, simply entitled Take That drops on January 27. In the words of the Netflix description, it will “relive the camaraderie, chaos, and resilience that fuelled their meteoric rise, dramatic split, and one of the greatest comebacks in British music history. Told in their own words, this is the deeply personal and definitive story of Take That.”
It is, they say, an “intimate look at the highs, the heartbreaks, and the enduring legacy of one of the UK’s most successful bands of all time.”
It’s not the first time that the biggest British boyband of their era have been given a doc. You may recall that back in 2005 ITV screened Take That:
For The Record. Made ten years after the band’s initial split with Robbie Williams it was memorable for all sorts of reasons. All five members talked candidly about their lives during the group’s initial run of success and the years since.
Howard Donald spoke about suicidal ideations and the time he’d been tempted to throw himself into the River Thames. Gary Barlow too, talked about his rivalry with Williams and how he had to decided to retire from music after his second solo album Twelve Months Eleven Days flopped.
For The Record also featured a staged ‘reunion’ of the band, which kept viewers on tenterhooks as to whether Robbie – then living in LA – would attend. In the event, he didn’t, but appeared via a recorded (and rather patronising) message to his fallen-on-hard-times bandmates.
The documentary proved the catalyst for the band’s reformation. Within weeks of For The Record’s screening, the four man Take That (minus Robbie) had announced a UK arena tour, which led to new music and a second wind for the much-loved boyband.
Many, many iconic groups have reformed over the last 20 to 25 years, but few have reconnected with their original fanbase so well and so confidently as Take That. Part of that success was undoubtedly the vulnerability the four members showed in For The Record. Who doesn’t love a good ol’ redemption story?
So the Netflix doc has a lot to live up to. It remains to be seen whether it manages to squeeze any fresh insights or revelations from these five middle-aged men.
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