Barlow named 'Britain's greatest songwriter'

Gary Barlow has been named Britain's greatest songwriter.

The Take That star beat competition from John Lennon and Paul McCartney to top the survey carried out by OnePoll.

"Gary Barlow has been responsible for some of the biggest hits of the past decade, and now this poll proves that," said a OnePoll spokesperson.

"A lot of people aren’t aware that he has also written songs that have done well in the charts for other artists."

The 38-year-old has penned some of Take That's most memorable songs, including 'Babe', 'Back For Good' and 'Never Forget', as well as writing hits for artists such as Blue, Charlotte Church and Delta Goodrem.

Barlow has also picked up five prestigious Ivor Novello awards for songwriting and composing.

Former Beatles Lennon and McCartney were ranked second and third respectively in the poll of 3,000 music fans.

The top ten greatest British songwriters are:

1. Gary Barlow
2. John Lennon
3. Paul McCartney
4. Chris Martin
5. George Michael
6. Bee Gees
7. Noel Gallagher
8. Robbie Williams
9. Sting
10. Kate Bush