Take That is an English pop musical group consisting of members Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen, and, formerly, Robbie Williams. After seeing major success in the early to mid 1990s as a five person boyband act, a reformed four man version of the band achieved new success in the late-2000s without Williams.

Formed in Manchester in 1990, Take That sold more than 30 million records between 1991–1996. Between the band's first single release in 1991 and their breakup in 1996, the BBC described Take That as "the most successful British band since The Beatles in the UK, beloved of young and old alike".[citation needed] Take That's dance-oriented pop tunes and soulful ballads dominated the UK charts in the first half of the 1990s, spawning two of the best selling albums of the decade with Everything Changes (which was nominated for the 1994 Mercury Prize[1]) and Greatest Hits 1996, and according to Allmusic, "at this time were giant superstars in Europe with the main question about them not being about whether they could get a hit single, but how many and which would make it to number one".

Take That's music was notable for the band's writing of their own tracks as compared to many other ensuing boybands. Through Gary Barlow, the band were known for their catchy melodies that crossed genres and catered to many musical tastes spanning emotional Ballads, to Hi-NRG, Pop, Soul and Dance, thus contributing to their wide fan base who whilst consisting mainly of teenage women and teenyboppers includes famous singers like Elton John and other acts, who respect the band's work ethic and strong performance ethic. It was their live acts that really got them renown for their characterisation as top performers, and was what would distinguish them from the later emergent boybands. By strong live performances and grandiose dance sets that involved large scale thematic shows at sold out stadiums that were "theatrical affairs that featured fire, elaborate costumes, and complicated dance routines"[2], Take That were arguably one of Europe's biggest live acts of the 1990s. Their success caused other pop managers and labels to create other late 1990s boybands like Boyzone, East 17, 911, and later, Westlife and 5ive, as well as to try the successful formula with women, as the Spice Girls did when they hired Simon Fuller as their manager in 1995.

The band split up in 1996, but after a 2005 documentary and the release of a greatest hits album, they officially announced a 2006 reunion tour around the United Kingdom, entitled The Ultimate Tour. On 9 May 2006, it was announced that Take That were set to record their first studio album Beautiful World in over 10 years. They then went on to produce another sellout tour in 2007, The Beautiful World Tour, which garnered positive reviews from critics, and is to date their highest selling tour.