Take That album 'decade's fastest-selling' in UK

Take That’s 'The Circus' has become the fastest-selling album in the UK so far this millennium, the Official Charts Company announced today.

The band’s latest album had sold just over 990,000 copies by the end of yesterday’s trading, putting it on course to comfortably pass the one million mark today, only its 19th day in stores, according to Official Charts Company statistics.

'The Circus' is also the second fastest million-seller of all time in the UK, behind Oasis’s 'Be Here Now'.

And Take That’s 'Beautiful World' album of 2006 is the third fastest.

The rapid ascent for Take That also leaves them with the second biggest selling album of 2008, leapfrogging Coldplay’s 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends'.

Duffy’s 'Rockferry' is the year’s runaway biggest seller so far, with 1.5 million copies sold in 2008 to date.

Official Charts Company managing director Martin Talbot said: “It has been an incredible run for Take That over the past few weeks, which should continue right through to Christmas.”

Here are the Official Charts Company’s five fastest million album sellers in the UK and how long they took to reach the figure:

1. Be Here Now – Oasis (1997) 11 days

2. The Circus – Take That (2008) 19 days

3. Beautiful World – Take That (2006) 27 days

4.= Robson & Jerome – Robson & Jerome (1995) 28 days

4. = 1 – The Beatles (2000) 28 days