No reunion for Take That...yet

Robbie Williams sang with Take That on Thursday for the first time since the band broke up 13 years ago, but we'll have to wait a little longer for the proper reunion.

Williams took the stage at the end of this three-hour musical extravaganza for Children in Need at London's Royal Albert Hall, along with its full cast of performers including Sir Paul McCartney and Dame Shirley Bassey, to join Take That in singing Hey Jude.

As he stood arm-in-arm with Gary Barlow, it looked as though it was only a matter of time before Williams was back in the band for good.

Not that the boys are ready to forgive and forget just yet. When Barlow invited Williams to join the band on stage, it seemed that they were finally going to perform together again only for the rest of the boys to march off in a pretend huff.

Unperturbed, Williams launched into the electro-rock of Bodies. Backed by a tight band and the BBC Concert Orchestra, it was the best he's sounded since returning to the stage after three years.

He then led the crowd in a mass handclap over the singalong chorus of new single You Know Me, before going into the audience to hug a female fan.

But no charity event would be complete without an appearance from the former Beatle McCartney.

Take That appeared on stage to help McCartney sing his classic ballad Hey Jude, with Robbie returning for its extended finale. It wasn't quite the reunion we were hoping for, but it was hard to feel disappointed by an evening with so many other musical highlights.