I was obsessed with Take That in the '90s – now they’re helping me escape midlife stress and anxiety

As a mum of three girls who have lots of hobbies, I’m forever driving them to art classes, dance competitions and football training. In stark contrast, back in the 90s, when I was a teenager, I only had one hobby: Take That.

It was a hobby that I took very seriously. Like many teens at the time, I bought every magazine they appeared in. Posters were Blu-tacked on my wall (who needs to see the wallpaper, anyway?), cuttings of articles went into ring binders and VHS tapes with recordings of every Top Of The Pops, Ozone or Live and Kicking appearance lined my bedroom shelf. I’d practise signing my future married name (Alison Owen or Williams, depending on my mood) and knew the Pray dance routine, off by heart.

While I’m now – at age 47 – more likely to be found wrangling my kids (a 15-year old, plus 7-year-old twins) or stressing about work, this week I’ve been transported back to my carefree teenage years. 

© Lia Toby/Getty Image for Netflix

The three-part docuseries Take That dropped on Netflix and for any fans from back in the day, it’s a joyful walk down memory lane. A mixture of old video camera footage, filmed by the band, personal photos they took and voiceovers from all five original members, it transports us back in time, in the best possible way.

We’re living in stressful times. If I’m not waking at 3am in a panic over the cost of living crisis stretching our finances, I’m worrying about what our teen might be doing online, stressing about the chances of getting cancer or trying to navigate my own parents and in-laws getting older.

Adulting in 2026 is hard. And there’s a reason nostalgia is so big right now, with midlifers spritzing ouselves with Dewberry perfume like we are 14 again.

Being able to – even just for an hour or two – be taken back to a time when my main concern was ‘Would I get a dolphin tattoo like Mark or a Celtic cross like Robbie?’ really works for me.

But it’s more than just nostalgic escapism. I bonded with some of my best friends over our love for Take That. The memories we made going to concerts, or just staying up until midnight discussing the Howard’s new haircut, have shaped my childhood.

I spent hours, back then, sat on my bed writing letters to fellow Take That fan penpals across the UK and Europe. Our felt-tip pen decorated, hand-written letters dissected the band’s latest movements and plans. One of those penpals – Saz – I’m still friends with 31 years later, and an unexpected text from her earlier this week took a dreary January Monday from drab to fab:

"This is really short notice but are you free tonight?? I’ve got us tickets for the Take That Netflix doc screening!"

It might not surprise you to learn that I cancelled my plans and joined her at the screening. And I am so glad I did. Watching the first episode of the docuseries in a room filled with fans was something special. But more than that, the cinema had recreated an entire 90s themed bedroom, complete with Take That posters and merch, for us to hang out in and take photos before the screening. 

© Alison Perry

However it was when the screening ended that the biggest moment of the night happened – Take That made a surprise appearance. The crowd of fans – once hormonal teens and now hormonal 40 and 50-somethings – went wild.

We sang, we danced and I even got to high five Mark Owen as he walked through the crowd. My 16-year-old self would have died.

And that 16-year-old actually popped up and made an appearance this week. While watching the second episode of Take That on Netflix, I discovered that it includes a video clip of me and my mate outside a Take That concert in 1995.

© Alison Perry

So I’m floating through the rest of the week in a bubble of 90s pop nostalgia and I’m not mad about it. It feels like the world could throw its worst at me and I’d just handle it. My resilience for current day drama is far greater thanks to Gary, Mark, Howard, Jason and Robbie.

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