James Arthur on course for Number 1 with fastest selling single of 201

X Factor winner James Arthur is on course to top the Official Singles Chart this weekend with the fastest selling single of 2012 so far, according to the Official Charts Company's sales data.

James Arthur looks set to debut at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart on Sunday with one of the greatest opening week totals for an X Factor winner. Arthur’s debut single, Impossible, has clocked up sales of 255,000 copies up to midnight last night – according to latest Official Charts Company sales data.

The single has now already beaten the total of Little Mix’s opening week last year (with Cannonball selling 210,000 week one) and is fast closing in on Leon Jackson’s 275,000 opening week total (with When You Believe in 2007).

Impossible has already comfortably surpassed 2012’s previous biggest one-week total of 152,000 which was achieved by Cheryl’s Call My Name in June.

Impossible, which went on sale on Sunday evening immediately after Arthur was unveiled as the 2012 X Factor winner, is on course to become one of X Factor’s biggest hits. Only three X Factor winners' singles have previously sold more than 500,000 in their first week – 2006’s A Moment Like This by Leona Lewis (571,000), 2008’s Hallelujah by Alexandra Burke (576,000) and 2005’s That’s My Goal by Shayne Ward (742,000).

Impossible has predominantly been available as a digital download until today, when it is fully available as a CD single for the first time. Tomorrow’s update from the Official Charts Company will be the first to include these sales, which could see James Arthur’s opening week tally increase significantly.

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Official Singles Chart Update

In addition to James Arthur’s Impossible (Number 1), there are four other new entries in today’s Official Singles Chart Update.

Will.I.Am looks set to score his fourth solo Top 5 hit on Sunday with Scream & Shout (Number 2). The follow up to his July Number 1 smash, This Is Love, features guest vocals from Britney Spears. Will.I.Am’s debut solo album, #willpower will be released early next year.

Rihanna is currently enjoying not one, but TWO tracks in the Top 10 at this week’s midway point. Previous chart topper Diamonds rides at Number 6, while Stay, a new collaboration with Mikky Ekko and the second track to be lifted from her Number 1 album, Unapologetic, is at Number 8. Daley FT Jessie J’s Remember Me is new in at Number 19, and the week’s new entries are completed by Emeli Sande’s Clown at Number 24.

The highest re-entry on this week’s Official Singles Chart is the original version of this year’s X Factor winner’s single, Impossible, by Bajan singer Shontelle. The track originally peaked at Number 9 upon its release in 2010, and is at Number 16 on today’s Update.

The full Official Singles Chart Update Top 40 is as follows:

1	IMPOSSIBLE	JAMES ARTHUR
2	SCREAM & SHOUT	WILL.I.AM FT BRITNEY SPEARS
3	LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN	BRUNO MARS
4	THE POWER OF LOVE	GABRIELLE APLIN
5	TROUBLEMAKER	OLLY MURS FT FLO RIDA
6	DIAMONDS	RIHANNA
7	BENEATH YOUR BEAUTIFUL	LABRINTH FT EMELI SANDE
8	STAY	RIHANNA FT MIKKY EKKO
9	LITTLE THINGS	ONE DIRECTION
10	KISS YOU	ONE DIRECTION
11	GANGNAM STYLE	PSY
12	DIE YOUNG	KESHA
13	I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE	TAYLOR SWIFT
14	TRY	P!NK
15	HO HEY	THE LUMINEERS
16	IMPOSSIBLE	SHONTELLE
17	GIRL ON FIRE	ALICIA KEYS
18	CANDY	ROBBIE WILLIAMS
19	REMEMBER ME	DALEY FT JESSIE J
20	DON'T YOU WORRY CHILD	SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA/MARTIN
21	FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK	THE POGUES FT KIRSTY MACCOLL
22	ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU	MARIAH CAREY
23	DON'T STOP THE PARTY	PITBULL FT TJR
24	CLOWN	EMELI SANDE
25	LOVE IS EASY	MCFLY
26	A THOUSAND YEARS	CHRISTINA PERRI
27	SKYFALL	ADELE
28	GOLD DUST	DJ FRESH
29	SWEET NOTHING	CALVIN HARRIS FT FLORENCE WELCH
30	NOT GIVING IN	RUDIMENTALFT JOHN NEWMAN AND ALEX CLARE
31	DNA	LITTLE MIX
32	I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY	WIZZARD
33	LATCH	DISCLOSURE FT SAM SMITH
34	CAN YOU HEAR ME (AYAYAYA)	WILEY FT SKEPTA, JME AND MS D
35	ONE MORE NIGHT	MAROON 5
36	HALL OF FAME	THE SCRIPT FT WILL.I.AM
37	SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION	THE SCRIPT
38	GIVE ME LOVE	ED SHEERAN
39	MERRY XMAS EVERYBODY	SLADE
40	DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS	BAND AID