By Dianne Bourne
Copyright manchestereveningnews
Take That fans are now on countdown awaiting a major Circus-themed announcement from the band due on Friday morning. Fans have been sent into a frenzy over the past week, after a number of teasers from the Manchester band about a BIG announcement due to come at 10am on Friday, September 19. It has led to feverish speculation from fans on social media and on Take That fan groups trying to guess exactly what the announcement will be. One thing is pretty clear though – that the announcement has got something to do with The Circus – Take That’s acclaimed album of 2009 that went on to be the theme for one of their most spectacular concert tours to date The Circus Live . Stay connected with our City Life newsletter here Since Monday, cryptic videos have been posted on Take That’s official social media feeds, every day at 12noon, days after announcing in a newsletter to fans that they’re “back together” and “talking about touring.” Each video clip has shown a circus-themed scene with unnamed figures – before a final reveal in Thursday’s clip showing Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald appearing to prepare for a circus show. Naturally, it has sent fans into overdrive guessing what the full announcement will be, and whether it means a new “Circus 2.0” live tour could be on the way. Speculation is now at fever pitch that some kind of celebration is being planned by the band that will involve The Circus theme and music once again – but exactly what it will be has left everyone guessing. Here, we take a look at the timeline of the clues and what’s been said so far, ahead of the official announcement on Friday at 10am. It all started with an email sent out to subscribers to the Take That newsletter – eg the fan faithful. An email with a new picture of the band’s Gary Barlow , Howard Donald and Mark Owen was sent out on Saturday morning saying: “We’re excited to say we’ve been spending some time together these last few days, hanging out, checking in on each other, talking about the band a lot, families, good movies to watch, books to read, etc, etc. “Playing songs we have been working on and writing, listening to artists new and old.” They went on: “We have talked a lot about touring and how much we enjoyed This Life on tour, making the record, the places we visited far and wide. It really was special and we are so grateful to everyone who tuned in, came along and made that experience so special.” It went on: “Have we made any big decisions this week? Yes. Do we have a plan? Yes. Do we know what we are doing?! Most of the time…” It signed off by saying: “Lots to come, lots to do, lots of love”, and the promise: “See you out there.” Fans spotted that the email was signed “Take That” rather than their individual names – which sparked speculation on whether any of the band’s previous bandmates – Jason Orange and Robbie Williams – could be returning. On Monday, further fuel was added to the fire as the official Take That social media accounts shared a cryptic video – sending fans into meltdown. The first video shows a man in a black and white top and braces readying a balloon to be blown up – with colourful balloons seen in the background. For dedicated Take That fans, it immediately brought to mind one of the band’s most famous albums, The Circus. The tour that followed, Take That Presents: The Circus Live , is widely regarded as one of Take That’s best ever productions, bringing as it did huge theatrics, circus dancers and performers as well as the band riding a life-sized animatronic elephant, at stadium shows in 2009, in what was the fastest-selling show in UK history. It was followed by two other cryptic circus videos on Tuesday and Wednesday showing a unicycle being prepared and a man applying clown make-up. Fans took to Take That’s Instagram and X accounts to share what they think it all means, with a new Circus tour being the most popular suggestion. Some wondered if it would be in the UK, or involve a Las Vegas residency. Mrs Muir wrote: “Swear to god if they re-tour the circus then my life is complete and I can die happy, can you imagine?!” Lewis Howland wrote: “Wait wait … wait is the circus coming BACK?!”, while Joana Wakefield said: “Please, please, we want The Circus!!!!!” Gemma Goodman said: “Oh my days. The circus is my FAVORITE TOUR EVER! Please re tour this. My daughter has only ever seen it online.” Fan @GB4Me added: “So so happy!!! Like bursting at the seams happy!” A further email was reported by fans to have been sent out on Wednesday to newsletter subscribers, showing what appeared to be the three current members of Take That reading newspapers. It sparked another fan frenzy as people zoomed into the newspapers and started trying to piece together more clues. One of the headlines on the paper was “The case of the missing hat” – which many have speculated could mean the “missing member” of the Circus crew – Jason. It also had a headline saying: “Breaking news: The circus is back in town” – although the email and pictures have not been verified by the MEN. A weather map on the paper was interpreted by some to suggest cities that the band may be touring to. It’s hard to see what cities they are, but it does look like Manchester may be one of them. The band last performed together as a trio on their This Life tour, which included t wo nights at Manchester’s Co-op Live as well as five shows at the city’s AO Arena in 2024 . And the final cryptic video posted this week showed the current lineup of Howard, Gary and Mark all preparing for a circus, as they prepare for whatever the final announcement will be. The post also shared an emoji of an elephant – the most spectacular part of their previous Circus Live tour. Fans also swiftly spotted in the video that only three bowler hats (a memorable part of the Circus stage costumes) are pictured in the background, which may suggest Jason is not going to be involved after all. Join our Manc Life WhatsApp group HERE As for what the band themselves say, Gary Barlow took to social media at the start of the week to answer some fans’ questions, but has added to the mystery by putting a “thumbs down” emoji to fan suggestions it could be a new Greatest Hits tour or a new album. However, he has confirmed, via a thumbs up emoji, that he, Howard and Mark will be appearing on The One Show on Friday night. Now, fans will be keeping a keen eye on the Take That website after the countdown roller assured them that news is incoming by Friday morning at 10am.
