Lovely Jubilees! How Gary Barlow celebrated the 1977 royal milestone.. and the surprises he has planned for this weekend

Lovely Jubilees! How Gary Barlow celebrated the 1977 royal milestone.. and the surprises he has planned for this weekend

MESSING about under a mop of blonde hair, Gary Barlow had a ball at his street’s Silver Jubilee party.

And no wonder â€" all the six-year-old had to worry about was how many sausage rolls he could get his paws on.

Fast-forward 35 years to this weekend’s Diamond Jubilee, and the boy seen in these exclusive pictures has rather more on his plate.

Take That star Gary, 41, has one of the biggest Jubilee jobs going â€" masterminding the all-star concert on Monday, which will be watched by millions on TV.

Gary has to co-ordinate a stellar line-up including Sir Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Sir Elton John and Kylie.

He’s certainly come a long way since 1977, when the street where he grew up in Cheshire all piled into his garden for a good old knees-up.

Gary recalls: “We had a big street party in our back garden and everybody came.

"There were lots of sandwiches and saus age rolls. There were people there I never even knew lived down our street.

“Everyone invited everybody. It brought everyone together.

Joy: Gary in 1977 showing he was born to be performer

"I also remember watching the events on TV and all the mums and dads crowded round getting all emotional.

“It was a massive day and I hope the country comes out in force in the same way for this Diamond Jubilee.

"It feels like the country is really getting behind it.”

When the concert was first proposed in 2010, it was Gary’s idea to stage it outside Buckingham Palace.

He reveals: “It’s nearly two years now since I first got asked about it and I went for this big meeting at Buckingham Palace.

“It was a massive opportunity but I didn’t just want to take the job on without thinking I could really bring something to it.

“At that first meeting I looked out of the window at the front of the Palace and I could see the Victoria Memorial.

Cheeky: Gary at the party in 1977

“I just thought, ‘That is where the stage has got to be’. I loved the Golden Jubilee concert in 2002, but it did feel for me like the gates were closed and no one could get in without an invite.

"I wanted this to feel like the People’s Concert â€" so that anyone who wanted to could just get on a train to London and turn up and watch the gig.

“This space gives a good 300,000 to 400,000 people the chance to see this live with their own two eyes.

“That was the first big turning point. It took about five months to get permission because we had to go to the council and the police first.

“The Queen couldn’t just approve it as the memorial is on a public road.

“We actually never dreamed we would get it but after months of wrangling they said yes and then we just had to make sure the Queen liked it. And she did.

“Buckingham Palace is a forward-thinking house.

"They don’t want things to stay the same, they don’t want to be repeating things, they like new ideas and they are really looking forward to this.

Fun: Larking about outside

“However, my celebrations will only start after the concert is over. I’ve got a big job to do.”

Gary was asked to find music to represent all the decades of the Queen’s reign, which means Sir Cliff Richard rubbing shoulders with Dame Shirley Bassey and JLS.

Gary wants to keep most of the details a secret until the day, but does reveal he has a “special duet” planned with another global star.

He says: “On the day we will all be nervous â€" it’s a three-hour live show on BBC1 with no adverts if you need to fix something. It has to be quite smooth.

“We are rehearsing off-site at the moment, but when we transfer into the real arena, things will change.

“There will be a nightmare side to this gig in terms of logistics â€" but you won’t see any of that.”

One potential headache has already been resolved.

Sir Elton was treated for a serious respiratory condition in the US last week, sparking fears he might have to p ull out of Monday’s concert.

But according to friends he has told delighted Gary he’ll definitely perform.

Special guest: Macca will headline the show

Gary says: “The end of the gig is particularly full-on because we go act into act.

“We go from Kylie to Stevie Wonder to Elton John and then Paul McCartney.

"They are four massive sets. They all have their own bands, they all have a different look.

"If we can get to McCartney and nothing has gone wrong, then we will all be jumping up and down.

"It will be dark by then, peak time, the climax to the show and you want that part to really blow people away.”

As well as organising the concert, Gary co-wrote the official Diamond Jubilee song with Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Entitled Sing, it was made with children and orchestras from all areas of the Commonwealth. Gary even had to go to the Palace to play the song to Her Majesty â€" and thankfully it got the thumbs-up.

He says: “At no point did I ask her, ‘Did you like it?’ because I could tell she was really interested in the stories of all the people who were performing on it.

< p>“And part of my job was to tell Her Majesty about all those different people from different walks of life who I met along the way.

“She was clearly very touched to see the time and effort people had put into this for her and we were thrilled that she enjoyed it so much. It was lovely.

“That’s the thing that amazes me about the Queen â€" despite it being her Diamond Jubilee the last thing she wants is for anyone to put themselves out for her.”

An emotional BBC1 drama on Sunday night will show the lengths Gary went to in order to record a real cross-section of people from all different backgrounds.

He was so touched by some of the deprived kids â€" including some from Kenyan slums â€" that they will now be treated to a trip of a lifetime this weekend.

Duet: Gary will sing with a secret special guest

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” he says.

“And I have been on hundreds of records. There was an incredible amount of recording for three minutes of music. It really was motivating and brings out a new side in you.

“Somehow we got a flavour of everything in the record.

“Now we are bringing some of the people over â€" the slum drummers and the African child choir are going to meet the Queen and Paul McCartney and Elton John.

"They have never been on a plane before. It is going to be incredible.

“We have changed some people’s lives doing this, which is gorgeous.”

And with that, Gary is back to thinking about the concert and anxiously looking up to the heavens â€" and the one thing he can’t control.

He says: “At the moment the weather is smiling on us too. It looks like it’s going to be a scorcher.

“Of course we always find some reason to moan and people are now talking about everyone getting sunburn. Just get the factor 50 on.

“If we get a hot, sunny day and an event like this, well, what a fantastic advertisement for our country.”

3 The documentary On Her Majesty’s Service will be shown on BBC1 on Sunday, at 7.30pm. The official Diamond Jubilee song Sing is out now and will be performed live at the Diamond Jubilee Concert on Monday.