Take That 'write songs in their sleep'

Take That singer Mark Owen has revealed that he often wakes up in the middle of the night with the idea for a song in his head.

The singer, who marries girlfriend Emma Ferguson in the Scottish Highlands next month, admitted that he is sometimes surprised when he listens to them again in the morning.

"I have written some great songs in my sleep. I sing lyrics into my phone. I'll wake up in the night and sing into my Dictaphone and try not to wake the missus," he said on Take That Present: The Circus Live DVD.

"When I wake up in the morning it's just me mumbling and falling asleep - but when I'm dreaming I hear all the string arrangements and everything."

Meanwhile, bandmate Howard Donald claimed that the group share songwriting duties more evenly since they reformed in 2005.

"We've got a much bigger friendship now than we ever did. Gary used to write everything at such a rate we were always catching up. It's different now, with all of us sharing the writing," he said.

"I throw gems, diamonds into the air, and they are all thrown back at me!" Gary Barlow added.

The group release their Take That Present: The Circus Live DVD on November 23.