SONGWRITERS OF HIS GENERATION WITH OVER 50 MILLION ALBUMS SOLD

WORLDWIDE, I'M SO HONORED TO INTRODUCE TO THE SHOW OUR

FRIEND, YOUR FRIEND, THE INCREDIBLE GARY BARLOW IS ON THE

SHOW.

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT.

HOW ARE YOU, GARY?

HOW ARE YOU DOING?

ARE YOU BACK IN LONDON, HOW IS EVERYTHING IN THE U.K.?

>> YEAH, IT'S GOING GREAT, WE'RE BACK IN LOCKDOWN, IT'S ALL GOOD.

>> James: I FEEL LIKE YOU ARE-- I FEEL LIKE YOU ARE THE

PERFECT PERSON TO DEAL WITH LOCKDOWN.

I FEEL LIKE ARE YOU GOOD AT KEEPING YOUR MIND CREATIVE.

YOU ARE HAPPY INSIDE THE HOUSE.

IS EVERYONE IN THE FAMILY, EVERYONE GOOD.

>> YOU KNOW, EVERYONE IS FINE.

AND I HAVE TO BE HONEST.

THE FIRST LOCKDOWN FELT KIND OF NEW, SCARY BUT SORT OF EXCITING.

I DID AN AWFUL LOT OF WRITING AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DO WHAT

I DO, THEY SPEND THEIR LIVES IN STUDIO, DID THE SAME.

WE ALL GOT A LOT OF WORK DONE.

NOW WE'RE BACK IN LOCKDOWN.

IT IS THE TOTAL OPPOSITE.

WE'RE ALL SICK OF IT.

WE ALL WANT TO BREAK THE RULES BUT WE CAN'T.

WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH AND WE ARE COMING OUT OF LOCKDOWN TOMORROW

AND WE'RE ALL GOING TO GO CRAZY.

>> WELL, THAT IS CERTAINLY LOVELY FOR ALL OF US TO HEAR.

THAT'S WONDERFUL.

>> AND LONDON, I HAVE TO SAY, CHRISTMAS, BECAUSE OF ALL OF

THIS COVID SPHUF STUFF TORQUE BRING US OUT OF THIS BIG

DEPRESSION CHRISTMAS STARTED AROUND THE 16th OF JULY.

WE ARE ON A GREAT RUN, HONESTLY LONDON IS DECORATED TO THE HILT.

IT IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.

WE CANNOT WAIT TO GO OUT.

>> I MISS IT GREATLY.

I DO FEEL LIKE NOWHERE REALLY DOES CHRISTMAS LIKE LONDON.

I FEEL VERY HOME SICK WITH YOU SAYING THAT.

BUT I'M PLEASED.

YOU HAVE A LOVELY DIN-- DINNER.

>> WE'LL END YOU A PICTURE.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR BRILLIANT ALBUM, MUSIC-- THE

RESPONSE THIS WEEK HAS BEEN UNBELIEVABLE.

WHAT ARE THE STANDOUTS, IS THAT YOU RECORDED THIS IN A LIVE ROOM

WITH AN 80 PIECE ORCHESTRA LIKE YOU REALLY WANTED TO DO IT WITH

A FULL ORCHESTRA.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE HEARING YOUR SONGS PLAYED AT SUCH SCALE?

>> YOU KNOW WHAT, I KNOW BECAUSE FOR ANYONE WHO HAS WALKED-- WITH

WATCHED AN ORCHESTRA, NEVER MIND STARTING IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, IT

IS TRULY THRILLING.

IT IS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE.

WHAT I ALWAYS TRY TO DO WITH RECORDS IS WHAT IS UNSPIRING ME.

AND THE FACT THAT YOU ARE YOU IF I TOMORROW I AM-- I WILL HAVE 80

PEOPLE PLAY MY MUSIC TRK IS JUST THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE THING.

I DO REMEMBER WHEN YOU STOOD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ORCHESTRA WHEN

WE WERE DOING THE OPENING OF THE TONYS.

>> James: THAT'S RIGHT, I SHOULD TELL PEOPLE WITH WHEN I

DID THE TONYS THE FIRST TIME, GARY WROTE THE SONG THAT WE

OPENED THE TONYS WITH.

AND WE WERE IN NEW YORK TOGETHER AND THAT WAS AN INCREDIBLE

EXPERIENCE.

IT REALLY WAS.

>> BUT THIS IS SIMILAR TO THAT I REMEMBER YOU SAYING I'VE GOT TO

TAKE THIS IN BECAUSE THESE MOMENTS DON'T HAPPEN VERY OFTEN.

I MEAN IN LONDON WE HAVE SOME OF THE BEST MUSICIANS IN THE WORLD

WHEN THEY-- THERE IS JUST NOTHING LIKE IT, I CAN'T EXPLAIN

IT, IT HAS BEEN AN AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE, THE WHOLE

THING AND REMEMBER THIS ALL HAPPENED AND WAS RECORDED BEFORE

WE WENT INTO LOCKDOWN.

IN FACT WE DID OUR VERY LAST RECORDING SESSION WITH THIS 60

PIECE ORCHESTRA TWO WEEKS BEFORE LOCKDOWN SO WE WERE SO FORTUNATE

TO MAKE IT JUST IN TIME.

>> I'M SO GLAD YOU DID.

THERE ARE SO MANY BRILLIANT SOJS ON THE RECORD.

BUT YOU WROTE A DUE ET ON THE ALBUM CALLED THE KIND OF FRIENDS

THAT I NEED.

AND I WAS BLOWN AWAY AND TRULY HONORED THAT YOU ASKED ME IF I

WOULD SING WITH YOU ON IT.

AND I LOVE THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE.

FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T HEARD THE SONG EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS ABOUT.

>> THIS VERY BRITISH THING OF THE WAY WHEN TWO MEN TELL EACH

OTHER THAT THEY LOVE ONE ANOTHER, THEY INSULT ONE

ANOTHER.

AND IT HAS BEEN A FASCINATING EXPERIENCE BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN

DOING INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION THIS WEEK, SO I HAVE BEEN TO

ITALY, BULL GARIA, HUNGRY, THEY JUST CAN'T GET A GRIP ON THIS

WHOLE THING.

YOU INSULT ONE ANOTHER AND THAT MINES YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

IT'S THE MOST BIZARRE THING, THAT I ACTUALLY THINK PEOPLE

FROM BRITAIN ONLY GET BUT THAT IS WHAT THE SONG IS ABOUT.

IF I INSULTED YOU IT MEANS I LOVE YOU.

>> SEE GUILLERMO?

>> THANKS FOR THE EXPLANATION.

>> James: I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TELL HIM FOR FIVE YEARS.

NO, IN IS, I'M-- THIS IS LOVE.

NOW YOU'RE PERFORMING IS CALLED INCREDIBLE CHRISTMAS.

AND I HAVE BEEN ON YOU NOR A LONG TIME TO WRITE A CHRISTMAS

SONG.

THIS IS YOUR FIRST EVER AFTER 30 YEARS OF WRITING SOME OF THE

BIGGEST SONGS IN THE WORLD.

WHY WAS THIS THE RIGHT TIME FOR GARY BARLOW'S CHRISTMAS SMASH.

>> YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS SONG INCREDIBLE IS ONE OF THE FIRST I

WROTE.

AND DURING THE SUMMER PERIOD I LOOKED AT THE END AND THOUGHT

YOU KNOW WHAT, CHRISTMAS IS GOING TO COME EARLY THIS YEAR SO

I DID A TWIST ON THE LYRIC AND I CALL THE IT THE INCREDIBLE

CHRISTMAS.

SO WHO KNOWS.

>> James: I'M SO PLEASED YOU DID.

I MEAN IF I AM HONEST AND I TOLD YOU THIS, I WOULD LIKE AN ENTIRE

ALBUM OF BRAND NEW CHRISTMAS HITS.

AND I FULLY EXPECT ONE IN 2021.

AND THE ALBUM IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT.

YOU SHOULD BE SO PROUD OF IT.

YOU REALLY SHOULD, WE ARE HONORED TO HAVE YOU ON THE SHOW