Robbie Williams Overtakes The Beatles to Set Record for Most U.K. No. 1 Albums

Robbie Williams has overtaken The Beatles on the all-time leaderboard for most U.K. No. 1 albums with his 16th chart-topper, Britpop, which reached the summit on the Jan. 23-dated chart.

Williams and the Fab Four have been tied with 15 No. 1s each on the Official Albums Chart since January 2025 when the former’s Better Man soundtrack LP hit the top spot. Now Britpop, Williams’ 13th studio album, has scored him a 16th No. 1 to put him clear at the summit of the all-time rankings.

The Beatles had held the record since the release of 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, overtaking then-leader Elvis Presley with the band’s eighth No. 1 album. All but one of the group’s studio albums (1967’s Magical Mystery Tour) hit the top spot. Various compilations and live albums after The Beatles’ 1970 split also earned the No. 1 placing. The band’s most recent No. 1 came in 2000 with the compilation 1, which collected The Beatles’ 27 chart-topping singles in the U.K. and U.S.

Britpop has been subject to several release date changes. The LP was first slated to be released in October 2025, but was moved to February 2026 after Taylor Swift announced that The Life of a Showgirl would arrive the same month. The former Take That member brought the release forward to Jan. 16 in a surprise move.

Williams has been unabashed in his pursuit of the all-time record. At a show in London in October, he admitted that the album delay was due to Swift’s impending release. “We’re all pretending [the scheduling change] is not about Taylor Swift, but it f–king is, you can’t compete with that,” he said.

“I was worried about making you [fans] all wait for the record. But then I was like, ‘F–k it’. I’m sorry, but I’m f–king being selfish,” he told the crowd. “How many times in your life do you get to have the most No. 1 albums the U.K. has f–king ever had?”

His first U.K. No. 1 as a solo act came in 1997 with Life Thru a Lens, following his departure from boyband Take That two years earlier. All but one of his solo LPs (Reality Killed the Radio Star, 2008) has hit the top spot in the U.K., alongside a number of compilations, soundtracks and even a festive-themed LP in 2019.

Williams will likely face pressure in the coming years to retain the record. The Rolling Stones, who teased work on a new album, sit in joint-third place with 14 No. 1s across their career. His biggest threat is likely to come from Swift, who has already stacked up 14 chart-toppers in as many years. Her first came in 2012 with fourth album Red.

Olivia Dean finishes at the No. 2 spot with The Art of Loving, while Madison Beer’s Locket closes at No. 3, a new career high. Nathan Evans and Saint PHNX land at No. 4 with Angels’ Share and Fleetwood Mac’s 50 Years: Don’t Stop falls one spot to No. 5.

Nottingham duo Sleaford Mods scores a fifth top 10 LP with The Demise of Planet X in at No. 6, while A$AP Rocky’s Don’t Be Dumb debuts at No. 8 Following his debut BRIT Awards nomination in the breakthrough artist of the year category, Scouse rapper EsDeeKid’s debut LP Rebel rises five positions to No. 11.