Gary Barlow has denied fellow 90s pop superstars Steps a number one album.
The Take That singer secured the top spot with his fifth solo record, Music Played By Humans, beating the group’s comeback record, What The Future Holds, which was at two.
Music Played By Humans, named because much of it was recorded with an 80-piece orchestra, becomes Barlow’s third number one album and his first since Sing in 2012 with The Commonwealth Band.
As a member of Take That, he also has a further eight chart-topping records.
The 49-year-old said: “Well, today is Christmas Day. Thank you so much everybody. Thatters, GB army and anyone else. Thank you so much. What an honour, what a privilege, I can’t believe it. This possibly could mean the most to me than any other before.”
Music Played By Humans scored a total of 46,500 chart sales, according to the Official Charts Company.
Last week’s number one, Michael Ball and Alfie Boe’s Together At Christmas, falls to number three, while Miley Cyrus scores her highest charting album in seven years with Plastic Hearts at number four.
Buoyed by the success of single Midnight Sky, it becomes her highest placing on the chart since Bangerz took the top spot in 2013.
AC/DC remain in the running at number five with their acclaimed album Power Up, which reunites the remaining classic line-up.
On the singles chart, Aririan Grande lands a sixth consecutive week at number one with Positions following a strong challenge from Mariah Carey’s modern festive standard All I Want For Christmas Is You.
Positions now matches Grande’s previous best number one stint with Thank U, Next which earned six consecutive weeks at the top between November and December 2018.