Young stays top of the pops

Hat-trick: Can Will make it three weeks at the top?

Pop Idol winner Will Young has surprised no-one by staying at the top of the UK charts as his debut single continues to fly off the shelves.

His double A-side Anything is Possible and Evergreen sold a record 1,108,269 in its first week and Will fever carried on into week two.

Only time will tell if Young's shock announcement in a Sunday tabloid newspaper that he is gay will affect his popularity with the chart-buying public.

Rik Waller is happy with his highest new entry accolade

Heavyweight Pop Idol finalist Rik Waller has seen his debut cover I Will Always Love You kept out of the top five by acts such as Enrique Iglesias and Latin American star Shakira.

Waller, who was forced to quit the talent search after falling ill, entered at number six but had already admitted it was probably a mistake to launch his career at the same time as Young.

The first day's trading of the week saw Young sell 100,000 copies, the amount some number one acts sell in an entire week.

But Waller remained upbeat, saying; "I am more than happy with number six, to get to number one with a debut single is not that often heard of, apart from Westlife and Will.

"I just love the fact that I am in the charts and that people can now go out and buy my record.

"The chances of me having another hit are now strengthened because it is at number six and is the highest new entry."

Gareth Gates looks like the only act to able to topple Will Young

Meanwhile, Westlife's former number one World Of Our Own slipped to number seven while Kylie Minogue's In Your Eyes was ousted from the top ten.

New entries included City High with Caramel at number nine and R'n'B star R Kelly at number 10 with The World's Greatest.

Experts predict Young will stay at the top for three weeks as no-one looks able to command such high sales until Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates launches his assault on the charts.

Gates' cover version of Unchained Melody goes head-to-head with George Michael's first release in two years - Freeek! - on 18 March.