Will loses top spot to Gareth

Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates’s Unchained Melody will knock winner Will Young’s own debut single off the top of the charts this week.

The pair posed for pictures yesterday in co-ordinating black - Gareth in a velvet jacket and ruffled shirt, and Will dressed down in a jumper.

Will’s Evergreen/Anything Is Possible has spent three weeks at number one and racked up sales of 1.1 million in its first week, making it the fastest selling single of all time.

Gareth is hoping Unchained Melody will break that record and it sold around a quarter of a million copies on its release day.

Although he is a shade behind the numbers which Will had achieved at this stage during his first week, industry insiders say it is possible he could pull back.

Some retailers reported stock shortages for Will’s single by the weekend, but far more copies of Gareth’s release have been sent to stores to avoid such problems.

The Bradford teenager has proved more popular in the north of England, with stores in Leeds and Newcastle registering massive sales.

Gates won the hearts of the nation during ITV1’s Pop Idol talent search.

He had been favourite to win the title but narrowly lost out to Young in a national phone vote, with both contestants picking up more than four million votes.

He landed a record deal anyway and has also been signed to a lucrative sponsorship deal with Pepsi and Wella hair products.

He and Will are currently on stage on the Pop Idol Tour, where they perform alongside the other eight finalists.