Pop Idol duo hit UK top spot

Contestants from Pop Idol are continuing to dominate the UK charts, as new duo Sam & Mark go straight in at the top spot.

The pair – Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes – both lost out in the Pop Idol competition in its final stages, but they apparently won many fans as their cover of the Beatles favourite With A Little Help From My Friends has shot in at number one.

It comes just a fortnight after the show’s eventual winner – Michelle McManus - ended a three-week reign at the top with her debut single All This Time.

Sam & Mark’s success means the latest from ex-Boyzone singer Ronan Keating, She Believes (In Me), enters at number two.

Former number one, Take Me To The Clouds Above by dance outfit LMC vs U2, featuring samples of Whitney Houston and U2, has slipped to number three, while Kelis’ Milkshake also falls two spots to number four.

The Stereophonics’ Moviestar is another new entry at number five and It Takes Scoop by Fatman Scoop/Crooklyn Clan goes in at number nine, completing the tally of top 10 new entries.

In the album charts, Katie Melua’s Call Off The Search has slipped to number two as Norah Jones enters at the top spot with Feels Like Home.

Feels Like Home went straight in at number one in the album charts after shifting more than 235,000 copies in its first week, making it the biggest seller of the year so far.

Jones’ debut album, Come Away With Me, sold almost two million copies in the UK and 17 million worldwide and is still in the top 20.

Franz Ferdinand’s eponymous album is a new entry at number three, followed by last week’s number two The Best Of by Leann Rimes and Final Straw by Snow Patrol at number five.