For example, the BBC compiled its own chart based on an average of the music papers of the time; many songs announced as having reached number one on BBC Radio and Top of the Pops prior to 1969 may not be listed here as chart-toppers since they do not meet the legacy criteria of the Charts Company.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
[18] The addition of downloads to the UK charts meant that singles could reach number one with no physical copy being released.
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.
[24] The fastest selling debut single is "Anything Is Possible/Evergreen" by Will Young, which sold 1.11 million copies in its first week on sale.
[25] Publicity had built up due to the televised talent contest Pop Idol with 8.7 million people phoning in to vote for the finalists.
[31] Including streaming data, the record is held by "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers, which peaked at number 10 in 2004 and has been certified 9× Platinum for 5.4 million units.
[32] Based on purchases, the biggest selling single to peak at number three is New Order's "Blue Monday", which has sold over a million copies.
[34] The biggest selling single never to make the top 5 is "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol, which peaked at number 6 and has sold more copies than "The A Team".
[35] The biggest selling single not to reach the top 10 is "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri with physical sales of 844,000 and a peak of number 11.
In early September 2004, the UK Official Download Chart was launched, and a new live recording of Westlife's "Flying Without Wings" was the first number-one.
[50] The first number one to chart without ever receiving a UK physical release was Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" in June 2008.