Take That frontman Gary Barlow found himself in an amusingly awkward predicament during a live radio appearance this week, when a probing question about former bandmate Robbie Williams prompted him to make a theatrical exit from the studio.
The Moment Gary Barlow Chose the Door
Gary Barlow, along with bandmates Mark Owen and Howard Donald, appeared on Capital Breakfast to discuss their new self-titled documentary currently streaming on Netflix. The interview took a hilarious turn during a segment called There's The Door!, where celebrities face increasingly difficult questions and can choose to leave if stumped.
When presenter Jordan North reached the final round, he mischievously asked Barlow: "Okay we've not had anyone walk out the door so far. Gary Barlow, what is the worst Robbie Williams song of all time?"
Without hesitation, an awkward-looking Barlow replied: "Right, I'm going for the door" before saluting the studio and making his exit to cheers and laughter from everyone present.
Bandmates Serenade Departing Star
As Barlow headed for the exit, his amused bandmates Mark and Howard began singing lyrics from Gloria Gaynor's classic I Will Survive, adapting the words to: "Go, walk out the door! Don't turn around now..." creating a genuinely funny moment that highlighted the camaraderie between the three musicians.
The lighthearted incident occurred despite historical tensions between Barlow and Williams during their solo career phases, when the two were rumoured to be in a professional feud following Williams' departure from Take That in 1996.
Take That's Enduring Relationships
Speaking about their documentary, which charts three decades of stratospheric success alongside some darker periods, Barlow maintained that he, Mark and Howard maintain positive relationships with both absent bandmates - Robbie Williams and Jason Orange, who left the group in 2014.
At the London launch of their documentary, Barlow revealed: "The fact that we're all here now, and we're all still friends and talking - even the guys who aren't here today, we talk to them, we have relationships with them. There's a great thing."
He added: "And the one thing we didn't want to happen with this is for it to undo any of those. There are healed wounds, and it is a celebration. It definitely tells you the story, but it's also a celebration."
Comedian Peter Kay's Surprising Connection
During the same Capital Breakfast interview, presenter Jordan North revealed that comedian Peter Kay is a massive Take That fan, having seen them over twenty times live. Barlow smiled as he recalled: "In the 90s Peter Kay was one of the security men at the MEN - and he used to make sure that by the time Never Forget came on, he'd worked his way down to the front of the stadium, with the yellow high vis jacket on so he could do all the moves!!"
Barlow added that they support each other's ventures, saying: "He's brilliant live. We go to his stuff, he comes to our stuff... he's just genius."
Take That's Documentary Journey
The band's new documentary features rare never-before-seen footage spanning their entire career, from their formation in Manchester in 1989 with the original line-up of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Robbie Williams and Jason Orange, through their initial split in 1996, their reunion in 2005, and their continuation as a trio since 2014.
The timing of the documentary's release coincides with Robbie Williams' own recent documentary success and his chart-topping album Britpop, though Barlow's humorous exit from the interview demonstrates that while old tensions may be healed, some questions remain better left unanswered - or at least avoided with good-natured theatricality.
