The singer has teamed up with radio DJ Chris Evans, Professor Brian Cox and TV's James May to drive from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise money for Breast Cancer Care.

They will embark at 10am today (April 18), with the aim of reaching the tip of the Scottish mainland at 4.15am tomorrow (April 19).

The quartet will travel in a specially made pink Rolls-Royce car, which has been dubbed the FAB1 due to its numberplate.

Barlow and Co. hope to raise £1m for the cancer charity and the car will be made available to hire after the trip for the next 12 months.

The Friday Night Is Music Night event, named '2DAY', will take place at the Hackney Empire on May 10 and the 'Sing' hitmaker will treat gig-goers to tracks from his back catalogue.

Other artists who will also perform live at the show include Simply Red's Mick Hucknall, Elaine Paige and Jamie Cullum, and each star is set to be accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra.

The controller of BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music, Bob Shennan, said in an official statement:

"2DAY is a fantastic way for us to showcase the diversity and range of our output. This year, the spotlight is shining firmly on orchestral music, which is very fitting as Friday Night Is Music Night - one of our flagship programmes - celebrates an important birthday."

Watch footage from Barlow's rendition of 'Forever Autumn' from 'War of the Worlds' here:

21-year-old Steph Knight, who has been told she has just months to live, was pleased to see the X Factor judge pop by her house and sing in her living room.

He performed the track 'Back For Good' as the fan watched on in admiration. Knight said:

"Gary was really lovely. I'm very grateful. It was all a bit surreal to see him in the living room. He sang 'Back for Good'."

Knight was informed on New Year's Day that her illness was terminal, with the patient devising a bucket list as a result.

She has already met Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden and has flown an aircraft.

The British singer-songwriter founded Future Records in 2009, but is now planning to step away from the project to spend more time with his wife Dawn and their three children in 2013.

Speaking to The Sun, he said: "It's been a very difficult decision but it came down to time. I've had a lot going on recently and I want to spend more time with my family."

All artists signed to Future Records will be passed to the parent company Universal and continue their current contracts.

Barlow has had a difficult year as far as his personal life goes. In February the star announced that he and his wife were expecting their fourth child, but sadly their daughter, Poppy, was delivered stillborn on August 4.

The band - also comprising Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams - are one of the most popular bands in UK history, and Barlow believes their interesting journey would make for excellent big screen viewing.

Speaking to The Sun ahead of the London leg of his UK tour this week, he said: “No one’s ever approached us about it, never. We’ve been offered musicals and talked about them for years now but never a film.

Barlow added: “It is one of those stories ours, where if you wrote it down and gave it to someone they’d go, ‘Well it’s a good story but it wouldn’t come true. It feels like 20 years of madness, but it is a good story.”

Barlow also has in mind who he thinks should portray the five-piece.

He revealed: “I’d definitely have James Corden to play me — he’s such a great bloke, I love him. Howard Donald always thinks he looks like Willem Dafoe, so that would be a good one.

“Jason Orange is a bit Brad Pitt. Who’d be Mark? It’d be Ant or Dec, or you could even do both. And probably someone like Matt Damon should take on the role of Robbie Williams."

Barlow went to see the 'Candy' sensation at London's O2 Arena last week and had nothing but great things to say about him, telling the Daily Star that he was "so proud" of everything he has accomplished:

"Stadiums are where Rob belongs. He is stadium act."

"I was down at the O2 on Friday to see him and thinking how amazing it is that all of us are doing stuff all these years on and such a high level. I'm so proud of him."

On November 27, Williams joined Barlow on stage at his Royal Albert Hall show for a special rendition of 'Eight Letters'.

Watch Williams' performance of 'Let Me Entertain You' from his November 22 gig at the O2 Arena below:

The hitmaker was presented with an OBE by the Queen for his services to the entertainment industry and charity work, and told press that it "hadn't seemed real until today".

Writing on his official Twitter page, Barlow expressed his gratitude and told fans that he had a fancy car for transport: "Thank you to the lovely folk at Bentley Crewe for giving us a car for the special day #brilliant"

A tweet sent from GQ Style's page revealed that Barlow wore a Gieves and Hawkes morning suit, Smyth & Gibson suit and his tie was from Alexander McQueen.

Watch his music video for 'Sing' here:

Clark poked fun at Barlow after he'd performed a mash-up of Duran Duran's Girls On Film and the Bros hit When Will I Be Famous? as part of the 'Guilty Pleasures' theme on the hit TV talent show.

The cheeky Essex chap was shown old footage of him in a boyband performing Take That song Could It Be Magic.

When asked by Barlow which band member he was representing, Clark quipped: "It weren't you I'm too skinny for that!"

The audience and judging panel - comprising Walsh, Tulisa and Nicole Scherzinger - were in hysterics, and Walsh has laughed off the wannabe's teasing remarks.

He told The X Factor Online: "I loved it! It was the BEST comeback ever, the best thing about Rylan is that nothing shocks him. Gary has met his match in Rylan.

He added about Barlow's speechless reaction: "Yup, he got OWNED! That Essex boy is the king of one-liners and is brilliant fun. Who else would dare to poke fun at Gary over his weight? It was a stroke of genius!"

Walsh insists Barlow was a good sport about it though.

He continued: "Gary secretly loved it. You have to embrace the madness of this show. Gary loves a good old banter and on Saturday night, the gloves were well and truly off!

Judge Barlow - who is mentoring the popular act on this year's show - has slammed  reports that he is feuding with Cowell over Maloney's position in the competition.

Speaking on The Xtra Factor after Saturday's shows, Barlow said:

"I don't know of any clash, I don't read newspapers.

He continued: "But whether something's been said backstage, I'm not sure."

According to reports last week, music mogul Cowell said that he wanted Maloney out of the competition this year, feeling he was making the show "dated".

Maloney and Barlow's other remaining act Kye Sones will battle it out with the rest of the contestants in tonight's live X Factor show.

The singer-songwriter will play a live set in radio DJ Chris Evans' Mulberry Inn in Surrey, south England in aid of Children in Need. Proceeds from tickets sold will be handed over to the popular organisation and speaking on Evans' show this morning (November 2), Barlow explained:

"I've played many venues in my life - stadiums, arenas, theatres. I've always dreamed of playing this venue, which is the only reason I've agreed to it really other than the charity aspect."

Meanwhile, Barlow is also set to exercise his acting ability as he has signed up for a cameo in the BBC comedy series 'Miranda'.

Watch Barlow perform live with Cheryl Cole at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert below:

A BBC spokeswoman confirmed that he will appear as himself on the programme and will "get friendly in an unexpected way" with comic actress Miranda Hart.

The BBC also explained that "the scenes will be broadcast in the next series which begins at the end of the year". The pair previously worked together back in the summer during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Meanwhile, Barlow is due to hit the road on a solo UK and Ireland headlining tour, which will kick off on November 13 at the Bournemouth International Centre and will run until January 8, when it ends in Belfast.

Next week, the singer and X Factor judge will be handed the Music Industry Trusts Award at a gala event to raise funds for the Brit Trust and Nordoff Robbins.

Clark and judge Barlow have had something of a frosty relationship on the series this year, with the Take That man at one point walking off stage after the flamboyant singer was kept in the show ahead of his own act.

Barlow's bandmate Robbie Williams has now stirred things up even more by tweeting his apparent support for Clark, saying:

"TEAM RYLAN ALL THE WAY. VOTE RYLAN."

The X Factor judge has responded to the tweet, joking that their partnership is no more. He said:

"It was going so well between the two of us, 20 years knowing each other. We did an album together and it's all over in one tweet. In five letters it's all over!"

Speaking on a visit to the Brit School in Croydon, the 'Sing' hitmaker explained that all of the members still have to meet up to talk about what they want to do once Barlow's solo tour, which begins on November 13, comes to a close:

"We haven't made any plans. I think this is the great thing about the band these days. We're still yet to meet, all five of us [to discuss it], so we'll decide then."

Speaking about his forthcoming solo tour, Barlow revealed that it's great to have a "bit of freedom":

"Definitely not. I guess in a way it's my last bit of freedom actually because once I commit to Take That again, it's an 18-month, two-year thing. So I'm sort of celebrating my last few months of freedom."

Watch a recent interview with Barlow here:

The Take That man will fly solo for a batch of dates later this year and into 2013.

The singer will kick off his run in Bournemouth on November 13 before playing a host of shows in Scotland and England.

Notable dates on the jaunt include a gig at London's Royal Albert Hall on November 27, with the X Factor judge also due to play two concerts in Manchester - one at the O2 Apollo and one at the Bridgewater Hall.

The tour will end in Belfast on January 8 next year.

Tickets will go on sale at 10am UK time on Friday (October 19).

The full schedule is as follows:

November 13 - Bournemouth International Centre
November 14 - Plymouth Pavilion
November 21 - Edinburgh Playhouse
November 22 - Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
November 27 - London Royal Albert Hall
November 28 - Sheffield City Hall
December 6 - Manchester O2 Apollo
December 7 - Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
December 28 - Newcastle City Hall
December 30 - Wolverhampton Civic Hall
December 31 - Oxford New Theatre
January 2 - Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
January 4 - Blackpool Opera House
January 5 - Cardiff, St David's Hall
January 7 - Dublin, Olympia Theatre
January 8 - Belfast, Waterfront Hall Auditorium

The Take That singer told the Daily Star that he isn’t influenced by the show’s producers or Simon Cowell in a response to claims that the talent show is fixed:

“If Simon tried to tell me who to vote for I would say ‘No’. Nobody tells me what to do.”

The 41-year-old also admitted that The X-Factor’s credibility has suffered after Louis Walsh’s decision to take last week’s sing-off vote to deadlock:

“I think in the short-term the reputation of the show has definitely been damaged.

“I know what I’m told by the ­public, by cabbies and stuff like that and people weren’t happy last weekend. They thought their vote hadn’t counted but it does count.”