Robbie Williams’ decision to delay his latest album, Britpop, to avoid direct competition with Taylor Swift has paid off, as the pop veteran now holds more No. 1 albums in the UK than The Beatles.
The former Take That member has now landed a whopping 16 albums atop the UK Official Albums Chart, setting a new record. He had been tied with the Fab Four since January 2025, when the soundtrack for his unique biopic, Better Man, hit No. 1.
In addition to the Better Man soundtrack, 12 of Williams’ solo albums, two greatest hits collections, and his 2022 compilation XXV have topped the Official Albums Chart.
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“Britpop is the record I’ve always wanted to make, and seeing it become my 16th Number 1 album means everything to me,” Williams said in a press statement. “Thank you to all the fans who have been with me every step of the way. You’ve made my dreams come true.”
The Beatles had owned the record since releasing Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. Their most recent No. 1 was their 2000 compilation 1, featuring all of their chart-toppers in the UK and US.
Williams was fully transparent about going after the record when he announced the delay in October 2025. “We’re all pretending [the scheduling change] is not about Taylor Swift, but it fucking is,” he admitted to the crowd at a London show. “You can’t compete with that.”
“I was worried about making you [fans] all wait for the record,” he continued. “But then I was like, ‘Fuck it’ … How many times in your life do you get to have the most No. 1 albums the U.K. has fucking ever had?”
Read our own Liz Shannon Miller’s review of Better Man and see where it landed on our list of the Best Music Biopics of All Time.
Williams is currently gearing up for a brief UK tour performing Life Thru a Lens and Britpop in full, followed by a summer European run. Get tickets here.
