Most number ones The following is a list of all the acts who are on eight or more UK number one songs
with an individual credit (meaning, the main artist or named separately as a featured artist – being part of a group does
not count towards an individual's total). Simply playing or singing on a single without credit will not count, or the top positions would almost certainly belong to
session musicians such as
Clem Cattini who is reported to have played drums on over 40 number ones.
Most weeks at number one by artist Most weeks at number one by single The record for most non-consecutive weeks at number one is 18 by
Frankie Laine's "
I Believe" in 1953. It spent nine weeks at number one, dropped down for a week, returned to number one for six weeks, dropped down for a further week and returned to number one for a third time for three weeks. The longest unbroken run at number one is "
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by
Bryan Adams, which spent 16 consecutive weeks in 1991.
Ed Sheeran is the only artist to ever have multiple songs spend 10 or more weeks at the top of the charts, achieving the feat with both "
Shape of You" in 2017 and "
Bad Habits" in 2021.
Note: Songs denoted with an asterisk (*) spent non-consecutive weeks at number one.
Biggest climb to number one The single with the biggest climb to number one is "
Marvin Gaye" by
Charlie Puth featuring
Meghan Trainor, which climbed from number 90 on the week ending 20 August 2015. The biggest climb to number one within the top 40 goes to "
So What" by
Pink, which climbed from number 38 on the week ending 11 October 2008.
Biggest drop from number one The biggest drop from number one within the top 100 is to number 97. "
Three Lions" by
Baddiel,
Skinner and
The Lightning Seeds returned to number one for a third non-consecutive week on the week ending 19 July 2018, but in the following week it experienced a large drop after England's loss at the semifinals of the
2018 FIFA World Cup. However, two singles have since fallen completely out of the chart after a week at number one: "
Last Christmas" by
Wham! on the weeks ending 14 January 2021 and 12 January 2023, and "
Merry Christmas" by
Ed Sheeran and
Elton John on the week ending 13 January 2022.
Longest climb to number one "
All I Want for Christmas Is You" by
Mariah Carey reached number one on its 104th non-consecutive week on the chart, debuting on the week ending 10 December 1994 and peaking on week ending 17 December 2020. The longest climb to number one in a consecutive chart run is 36 weeks, achieved by
Sam Fender and
Olivia Dean's "
Rein Me In", which debuted on the week ending 26 June 2025 and peaked on the week ending 26 February 2026. In terms of overall surpassed time, the record is held by "
Running Up That Hill" by
Kate Bush, which first charted on the week ending 17 August 1985 and reached number one on the week ending 23 June 2022, almost 37 years since its first appearance on the chart.
Self-replacement at number one Since the inception of the UK Singles Chart in 1952 only seven acts have replaced themselves at the top of the UK charts with exactly the same billing (as opposed to featured credits or backing credits, for example '
Cliff Richard and the Shadows' and '
The Shadows' have had back to back number ones on four occasions): •
The Beatles — "
I Want to Hold Your Hand" replaced "
She Loves You" (14 December 1963) •
John Lennon — "
Woman" replaced "
Imagine" (7 February 1981) •
Elvis Presley — "
One Night" / "I Got Stung" replaced "
Jailhouse Rock" (22 January 2005) •
Justin Bieber — "
Love Yourself" replaced "
Sorry" (10 December 2015) •
Ariana Grande — "
Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" replaced "
7 Rings" (21 February 2019); "7 Rings" replaced "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" (28 February 2019) •
Ed Sheeran — "
Shivers" replaced "
Bad Habits" (23 September 2021) •
Sabrina Carpenter — "
Espresso" replaced "
Please Please Please" (18 July 2024); "Please Please Please" replaced "Espresso" (1 August 2024) In addition, Ariana Grande is the first female artist to replace herself, and the first artist to replace herself at Number 1 for two consecutive weeks.
Songwriters with the most number one singles Double A-sides and EPs count as one single rather than separate songs, and songs that have been number one for multiple artists are included as separate singles.
Most consecutive number ones The Beatles had 11 consecutive number ones with official releases on
Parlophone between 1963 ("
From Me to You") and 1966 ("
Yellow Submarine" / "
Eleanor Rigby"), though releases of archive material from their previous record company also charted during this time. Even including the archive releases, they still have the most consecutive number ones with 7, from "
A Hard Day's Night" in 1964 up to "
Yellow Submarine" / "
Eleanor Rigby" in 1966. They share this record with
Westlife, who achieved this from their 1999 debut "
Swear It Again" up to 2000's "
My Love".
Most consecutive number ones from chart debut Spice Girls became the first British music act and girl group to have their first six singles reach number one on the UK singles chart between 1996 and 1997 with "
Wannabe" in July 1996 to "
Too Much" in December 1997.
Westlife became the first music act to have their first seven singles ("
Swear It Again", "
If I Let You Go", "
Flying Without Wings", "
I Have a Dream / "
Seasons in the Sun", "
Fool Again", "
Against All Odds" and "
My Love") to reach number one from 1999 to 2000. It took Westlife just over 18 months to achieve their first seven number ones, faster than any other music act.
Most songs to debut at number 1 on the chart Acts with the most songs to debut at number 1 on the Official Singles Chart. Westlife claim the most number 1 debuts on the Official Singles Chart, with all 14 of their chart-toppers landing there in their first week.
Most number-one singles from one album The following artists have had at least 3 number-one singles in the UK with a single album. No soundtracks have had 4 number-one singles as of today.
Lady Gaga's
The Fame and
The Fame Monster are considered to be one album by the
Official Charts Company.
George Michael is credited as a sole singer for some number-one songs that are tracks on
Wham! albums. Although "
Merry Christmas" by
Ed Sheeran and
Elton John was a number-one single on a Christmas edition of Sheeran's album
=, the special edition was later removed from stores, and the song is now listed as a single from John's album
The Lockdown Sessions, therefore removing the third number-one single credit from Sheeran's album.
Longest span of number one singles The Beatles have the longest time span of number one singles with 60 years between their first, "
From Me to You" in May 1963, and their most recent, "
Now and Then" in November 2023.
Elvis Presley has the longest timespan of number one singles for a solo artist, with over 47 years between his first number one "
All Shook Up" in June 1957 and his most recent, the reissue of "
It's Now or Never" in January 2005.
Kate Bush has the longest time span of number one singles for a female artist, with 44 years between her first number one "
Wuthering Heights" in April 1978 and her second and most recent "
Running Up That Hill" in June 2022.
Longest gap between two number one singles The Beatles have the longest gap between two number ones, with 54 years between "
The Ballad of John and Yoko" in June 1969 and "
Now and Then" in November 2023.
Kate Bush has the longest gap between two number ones for a solo artist, with 44 years between her first "
Wuthering Heights" in April 1978 and her second "
Running Up That Hill" in June 2022.
Tom Jones has the longest gap between two number ones for a male artist, with over 42 years between "
Green, Green Grass of Home" in December 1966 and his featured appearance on "
(Barry) Islands in the Stream" in March 2009.
Lowest-selling number one The lowest weekly sale for a number one single is 17,694 copies held by
Orson's "
No Tomorrow" in 2006. The addition of downloads to the UK charts meant that singles could reach number one with no physical copy being released. The first single to achieve this was
Gnarls Barkley's "
Crazy" in early 2006. Since 2014, audio streaming has been included in the calculation of chart position, so it is now possible for a single to reach number one without selling any copies (if it were only available on streaming services). In the week ending 24 September 2015, "
What Do You Mean?" by
Justin Bieber became the first number one with over half of its chart sales made up of streaming points, with sales of 30,000 and 36,000 points from 3.6 million streams. Since the incorporation of streaming into the singles chart, the Official Charts Company have continued to compile a sales only chart. In week ending 27 April 2017 "
Sign of the Times" by
Harry Styles became the first number one in the sales-only chart to sell less than "No Tomorrow" by Orson, with 16,686 copies.
Longest and shortest songs to reach number one In terms of a song's running length, "
All Around the World" by
Oasis (1998) at 9 minutes and 38 seconds is the longest song to reach No.1. "
What Do You Want?" by
Adam Faith at 1 minute 35 seconds (1959) is the shortest.
Instrumental number ones Posthumous number ones Non-English language number ones • "
Je t'aime... moi non plus" –
Serge Gainsbourg and
Jane Birkin (French – 11 October 1969 for one week) • "
Chanson D'Amour" –
The Manhattan Transfer (French/English – 12 March 1977 for three weeks) • "
Begin the Beguine (Volver a Empezar)" –
Julio Iglesias (Spanish/English – 5 December 1981 for one week) • "
Rock Me Amadeus" –
Falco (German/English – 10 May 1986 for one week) • "
La Bamba" –
Los Lobos (Spanish – 1 August 1987 for two weeks) • "
Sadeness (Part I)" –
Enigma (French/Latin/English – 19 January 1991 for one week) • "
The Ketchup Song (Aserejé)" –
Las Ketchup (Spanish/English – 19 October 2002 for one week) • "
We No Speak Americano" –
Yolanda Be Cool and
DCUP (Neapolitan/English – 31 July 2010 for one week) • "
Loca People" -
Sak Noel (Spanish/English - 2 October 2011 for one week) • "
Gangnam Style" –
Psy (Korean/English – 6 October 2012 for one week) • "
Despacito" –
Luis Fonsi and
Daddy Yankee featuring
Justin Bieber (Spanish/English – 18 May 2017 for eleven non-consecutive weeks) Source:
Songs that were number one for multiple artists • "
I Believe" –
Frankie Laine (1953) and
Robson & Jerome (1995) • "
Answer Me" –
David Whitfield and
Frankie Laine (both 1953) • "
This Ole House" –
Rosemary Clooney (1954) and
Shakin' Stevens (1981) • "
Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" –
Pérez Prado and
Eddie Calvert (both 1955) • "
Unchained Melody" –
Jimmy Young (1955),
The Righteous Brothers (1990),
Robson & Jerome (1995) and
Gareth Gates (2002) • "
Singing the Blues" –
Guy Mitchell and
Tommy Steele (both 1957) • "
Young Love" –
Tab Hunter (1957) and
Donny Osmond (1973) • "
Mary's Boy Child" –
Harry Belafonte (1957) and
Boney M. (1978) • "
Living Doll" –
Cliff Richard (1959 with
The Shadows, 1986 with
The Young Ones) • "
Can't Help Falling in Love" –
Elvis Presley (1962) and
UB40 (1993) • "
You'll Never Walk Alone" –
Gerry and the Pacemakers (1963),
The Crowd (1985),
Robson & Jerome (1996) and
Michael Ball with
Captain Tom Moore (2020) • "
I Got You Babe" –
Sonny & Cher (1965) and
UB40 with
Chrissie Hynde (1985) • "
Somethin' Stupid" –
Frank Sinatra with
Nancy Sinatra (1967) and
Robbie Williams with
Nicole Kidman (2001) • "
What a Wonderful World" –
Louis Armstrong (1968) and
Katie Melua with
Eva Cassidy (2007) • "
Baby Come Back" –
The Equals (1968) and
Pato Banton (1994) • "
With a Little Help from My Friends" –
Joe Cocker (1968),
Wet Wet Wet (1988) and
Sam & Mark (2004) • "
Dizzy" –
Tommy Roe (1969) and
Vic Reeves with
The Wonder Stuff (1991) • "
Bridge over Troubled Water" –
Simon & Garfunkel (1970) and
Artists for Grenfell (2017) • "
Spirit in the Sky" –
Norman Greenbaum (1970),
Doctor and the Medics (1986) and
Gareth Gates (2003) • "
Without You" –
Nilsson (1972) and
Mariah Carey (1994) • "
Seasons in the Sun" –
Terry Jacks (1974) and
Westlife (1999) • "
Everything I Own" –
Ken Boothe (1974) and
Boy George (1987) • "
Barbados" –
Typically Tropical (1975) and
Vengaboys (1999, as "
We're Going to Ibiza") • "
Tragedy" –
Bee Gees (1979) and
Steps (1999) • "
The Tide Is High" –
Blondie (1980) and
Atomic Kitten (2002) • "
Uptown Girl" –
Billy Joel (1983) and
Westlife (2001) • "
The Power of Love" –
Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984) and
Gabrielle Aplin (2012) • "
Do They Know It's Christmas?" –
Band Aid (1984),
Band Aid II (1989),
Band Aid 20 (2004),
Band Aid 30 (2014) and
LadBaby (2022, as "Food Aid") • "
When the Going Gets Tough" –
Billy Ocean (1986) and
Boyzone (1999) • "
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" –
The Hollies (1988) and
The Justice Collective (2012) • "
Eternal Flame" –
The Bangles (1989) and
Atomic Kitten (2001) • "
You Are Not Alone" –
Michael Jackson (1995) and
The X Factor Finalists 2009 (2009) • "
Lady Marmalade" –
All Saints (1998) and
Christina Aguilera,
Lil' Kim,
Mya and
Pink (2001) • "
Mambo No. 5" –
Lou Bega (1999) and
Bob the Builder (2001) • "
Against All Odds" –
Mariah Carey with
Westlife (2000) and
Steve Brookstein (2005) • "
Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)" –
Eamon and
Frankee (both 2004, Frankee's version titled "
F.U.R.B. (Fuck You Right Back)") • "
Wake Me Up!" –
Avicii (2013) and
Gareth Malone's All Star Choir (2014) • "
Merry Christmas" –
Ed Sheeran with
Elton John and
LadBaby featuring
Ed Sheeran and
Elton John (both 2021, LadBaby's version titled "
Sausage Rolls for Everyone")
Acts to occupy the top two •
The Beatles • "
I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "
She Loves You" (three weeks in December 1963) • "
Hello, Goodbye" and "
Magical Mystery Tour" (three weeks in December 1967) •
John Travolta — "
Summer Nights" (with
Olivia Newton-John) and "
Sandy" (one week in November 1978) •
John Lennon — "
Imagine" and "
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"; "
Woman" (both January 1981) •
Frankie Goes to Hollywood — "
Two Tribes" and "
Relax" (two weeks in July 1984) •
Madonna — "
Into the Groove" and "
Holiday" (one week in August 1985) •
Justin Bieber • "
Sorry" and "
Love Yourself" (one week in November 2015); "Love Yourself" and "Sorry" (five non-consecutive weeks in December 2015 and January 2016) • "
Cold Water" (with
MØ &
Major Lazer) and "
Let Me Love You" (with
DJ Snake) (three weeks in August 2016) • "
Despacito" (with
Luis Fonsi &
Daddy Yankee) and "
I'm the One" (with
DJ Khaled,
Lil Wayne,
Quavo &
Chance the Rapper) (four weeks in May and June 2017) •
Ed Sheeran • "
Shape of You" and "
Castle on the Hill" (five weeks in January and February 2017); "
How Would You Feel (Paean)" (one week in February 2017); "
Galway Girl" (five weeks in March and April 2017) • "
Perfect" and "
River" (with
Eminem) (three non-consecutive weeks in December 2017 and January 2018) • "
Sausage Rolls for Everyone" (with
LadBaby and
Elton John) and "
Merry Christmas" (with Elton John) (one week in December 2021) •
Ariana Grande — "
Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" and "
7 Rings" (one week in February 2019); "7 Rings" and "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" (one week in February 2019) •
Adele — "
Easy on Me" and "
Oh My God" (one week in December 2021) •
Elton John — "
Sausage Rolls for Everyone" (with
LadBaby and
Ed Sheeran) and "
Merry Christmas" (with Ed Sheeran) (one week in December 2021) •
Harry Styles — "
As It Was" and "
Late Night Talking" (one week in May 2022) •
Taylor Swift • "
Is It Over Now?" and "
Now That We Don't Talk" (one week in November 2023) • "
The Fate of Ophelia" and "
Opalite" (one week in October 2025) •
Sabrina Carpenter — "
Please Please Please" and "
Espresso" (three weeks in June and July 2024); "Espresso" and "Please Please Please" (two weeks in July 2024); "
Taste" and "Please Please Please" (two weeks in September 2024); "Taste" and "Espresso" (one week in September 2024) •
Olivia Dean — "
Rein Me In" (with
Sam Fender) and "
So Easy (To Fall in Love)" (two weeks in February 2026) In addition, in the final week that Justin Bieber was at No. 1 and No. 2 with "Love Yourself" and "Sorry", "
What Do You Mean" was at No. 3. For the first three weeks that Ed Sheeran was at No. 1 and No. 2 with "Shape of You" and "Galway Girl", "Castle on the Hill" was at No. 3, and for the first of these three weeks Sheeran's "Perfect",
"New Man" and
"Happier" were at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 respectively, prompting a change in chart rules so that only 3 of an artist's songs can appear in the chart at one time. When Harry Styles occupied the top two he was also at No. 3 with "
Music for a Sushi Restaurant". In the first two weeks Sabrina Carpenter occupied the top two in September, she was also at No. 3 with "Espresso", making her the first female artist to occupy the entire top 3. When Taylor Swift occupied the top 2 in October 2025, she was also at No. 3 with "
Elizabeth Taylor".
The chart double: Simultaneously having number one on both the singles chart and album chart Age records •
Captain Tom Moore is the oldest artist to reach number one. He was exactly 100 years old when his rendition of "
You'll Never Walk Alone" with
Michael Ball reached number one on the week ending 30 April 2020. •
Kate Bush is the oldest female artist to reach number one. She was age 63 years, 343 days when her 1985 single "
Running Up That Hill" spent its third and final week at number one on the week ending 7 July 2022. •
Jimmy Osmond is the youngest artist to reach number one. He was age 9 years, 252 days when "
Long Haired Lover from Liverpool" first reached number one on the week ending 23 December 1972. •
Helen Shapiro is the youngest female artist to reach number one. She was age 14 years, 323 days when "
You Don't Know" first reached number one on the week ending 16 August 1961. == Most weeks ==