Robbie Williams overtakes the Beatles: record number of UK number-one albums

Robbie Williams has made British music history. The English singer has reached an extraordinary milestone in the UK album charts, overtaking the Beatles to become the artist with the most number-one albums in chart history. Williams's new album, “Britpop“, released a week ago, is the sixteenth of his solo career to top the chart, a run that began in 1997 with “Life Thru A Lens”. The Beatles stopped at fifteen. In total, Williams now has 21 number-one albums to his name, including those with Take That such as “Everything Changes” and “Progress”. Only the Beatles' Paul McCartney has more, with 23.

“It's incredible. Absolutely incredible,” Williams told the BBC. “I've always said my success has been like stretching an elastic band from Stoke-on-Trent to the Moon. Well, I think that elastic band is now longer and orbiting Venus.” The singer is currently in Paris for a relaxing weekend with his wife Ayda Field. “We'll celebrate with a Diet Coke and a salad,” he joked.

Williams's journey, from the glory days of the '90s to his current stability, also tells a story of resilience: his early career was marked by excesses of alcohol and drugs and a mental breakdown. “This week I want to remind myself how lucky I am,” the singer said. “For a while I couldn't do that because of my mental health issues. Now I'm in a place where the garden is blooming and I can just breathe and smile.”

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