ANYONE who heard piercing screams late last night may have been mistaken for thinking it was something to do with Hallowe’en.

But, far from screams of fear and horror, they were the delighted, hysterical screeches of the luckiest Take That fans in the country.

They’re an enthusiastic bunch at the best of times and were having a ball at the opening night of the exciting, Take That-inspired musical, The Band.

But none of them were quite prepared for a surprise appearance from the real thing in the form of Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald.

There were tears as the stars of Britain’s biggest-ever boyband took to the stage at Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre.

And no doubt there will be tears today when ticket holders for the other dates realise they missed out on the opportunity of the year.

But, fear not, you’re still going to have a great night out.

The winners of BBC’s Let It Shine pulled out all the stops to demonstrate the importance of the boyband to its fans.

The Band features many of Take That’s hits and was written by Olivier award winner, Tim Firth.

A sell-out crowd sang along to every word and the atmosphere in the theatre bodes well for when its highly successful tour reaches London's West End.

The Band runs until November 11.