Take That announce return of their record breaking Circus tour with huge stadium shows across the UK and Ireland in 2026

Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald first staged it in 2009 and it became the fastest-selling tour in history, with over 600,000 tickets sold in under 5 hours – however Jason Orange will not be joining them this time after leaving the band in 2014.

Now after 17-years the trio are back ‘bigger and bolder’ with the show that featured  fire-breathers, stilt-walkers and a huge 30-foot-tall mechanical elephant, which carried them through the audience. 

Following the announcement the band said: ‘The Circus tour was one of our favourite experiences as a band and, in the years since, we’ve talked many times about how much we’d love to do it again one day’. 

‘Well, that time has come! We’re so excited to welcome audiences old and new across the UK and Ireland to the spectacle of The Circus Live next summer. See you out there! ‘.

Show kick off in Southampton on May 29 before Coventry, Sunderland, Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, as well as two nights at the London Stadium, where the band performed as part of the 2012 Olympics.  

The new show will see band to perform the original 2009 set list, but promise a few new surprises along the way.

The Script, who supported Take That on the original Circus Live Tour will return also  as guests for their UK shows, alongside Belinda Carlisle.

Tickets go on sale September 26 at 9.30am, but fans can get first access by pre-ordering the band’s forthcoming tenth studio album, to be released late 2026, from the Take That official store.

It comes after former Take That member Robbie Williams reportedly delayed the release of his Britpop album to avoid clashing with Taylor Swift. 

It was announced back in May that the singer, who famously left the band in 1995,  upcoming album called Britpop, was due to be released this autumn.

But it has now been reported that Robbie has delayed the launch until February 2026 so he doesn’t have to compete in the charts with Taylor – whose album The Life of a Showgirl drops on October 3. 

Fans of the star who have preordered the album reportedly received an email reading: ‘Due to scheduling changes, Britpop will now be released on February 6, 2026.’

And it could be for good reason, as if Robbie can clinch the No1 spot with the record, he will become the artist with the most chart-topping UK albums – surpassing The Beatles. 

‘Taylor is undoubtedly the biggest artist in the world right now and her first-week sales are sure to eclipse any other artist who has released a record in recent years,’ a source old The Sun. 

‘The sales will still be massive in the second week, so Robbie and his team decided it’s better to just move the release date.

‘The new date in February has actually opened up loads more exciting opportunities, so there will be a lot happening in the New Year.’

Daily Mail has contacted Robbie’s representatives for comment.  

Britpop is inspired by the era in which he famously feuded with Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher.

As previously teased, the lead single, Rocket, features Black Sabbath axe-slayer Tony Iommi on guitar.

Speaking about his new music, Robbie explained: ‘I set out to create the album that I wanted to write and release after I left Take That in 1995. It was the peak of Britpop and a golden age for British Music. 

‘I’ve worked with some of my heroes on this album; it’s raw, there are more guitars and it’s an album that’s even more upbeat and anthemic than usual.’

Robbie continued: ‘There’s some “Brit” in there and there’s certainly some “pop” too – I’m immensely proud of this as a body of work and I’m excited for fans to hear this album. 

‘I also can’t wait to perform a song or two from it on my upcoming Britpop tour, which I’m opening in the UK, naturally.’

Robbie later changed the name of his tour from Robbie Williams Live 2025 to the Britpop Tour.

The album’s artwork features the red tracksuit Robbie famously wore to Glastonbury Festival in 1995, where he partied hard with and briefly befriended Oasis frontman Liam, around the same time he quit boy band Take That. 

Yet relationships between Robbie and the siblings were sometimes strained, with Noel famously branding Robbie the ‘fat dancer from Take That’.

Despite trading insults over the years, Robbie has always loved Oasis’ music and has always admitted he would have preferred to be making that kind of music opposed to his band’s pop hits.

Robbie’s Britpop tour kicked off in Edinburgh on May 31 and will see him travel to the likes of Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Sweden. Its final date is October 7 in Instanbul. 

Tickets go on sale September 26 at 9.30am, but fans can get first access by pre-ordering the band’s forthcoming tenth studio album, to be released late 2026, from the Take That official store.