Stormzy beats Sir Cliff Richard to secure a hat-trick with third Number 1 album This Is What I Mean

Stormzy celebrates a hat-trick as he secures a third Number 1 album with This Is What I Mean.

After a nail-biting race to the top spot which saw Sir Cliff Richard close the gap midweek, Stormzy delivers a last-minute surge to reach the summit of the Official Albums Chart with his third studio record.

The Croydon singer, songwriter and rapper, born Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr, previously topped the chart with 2017 debut Gang Signs & Prayer and 2019 LP Heavy Is The Head. Explore Stormzy’s Official Charts history in full here.

Image credit: Zebie

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Martin Talbot, Chief Executive, Official Charts Company comments: "Everyone loves a tight Number 1 race, and this week’s battle between Sir Cliff Richard and Stormzy has been an absolute classic, pitching two of our musical icons head-to-head.

"We at Official Charts are of course delighted to congratulate Stormzy on his big win, but it is also only right to doff our chart cap to Sir Cliff too. It takes two to make a classic chart race and that has certainly been the case this week. Great work, both!"

Cliff Richard enjoys a Number 2 debut with his latest LP Christmas With Cliff. His first dedicated Christmas release in 19 years – since 2003’s Cliff At Christmas – the record secures Cliff a 47^th Top 10 solo album, across a colourful career spanning over 60 years.

Andrea, Matteo and Virginia Bocelli’s festive collection A Family Christmas leads a number of yuletide releases making their ascent up the Official Albums Chart this week, jumping seven to a new peak in its sixth week on chart (4).

The Cure’s landmark ninth album Wish returns to the Top 10 thanks to a 30^th anniversary reissue featuring 24 previously unreleased tracks (9). The most commercially successful LP of the iconic British group’s career, Wish reached Number 1 upon its original release in 1992 and contained two Top 10 UK singles; High (Number 8) and Friday I’m In Love (6). See The Cure’s Official Charts history in full here.

Michael Bublé’s holiday staple Christmas lifts back into the Top 20 for the first time this year (13), as a Christmas Edition of George Ezra’s Gold Rush Kid sees it climb 14 spots (18). Elsewhere, Aled Jones and Russell Watson’s Christmas With Aled & Russell lifts back into the Top 40 (29).

Following Wednesday evening’s sad announcement of the death of Christine McVie at the age of 79, Fleetwood Mac’s seminal 1977 Number 1 LP Rumours lifts 18 spots, surging 43% week on week. (24). Hits collection 50 Years – Don’t Stop also features at Number 23.

Other records rebounding into the Top 40 this week are Luke Evans’ A Song For You (32), The Beatles’ Revolver (37) and Arctic Monkeys’ debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (38).

See the full Official Albums Chart Top 100 here from 5.45pm.

NOW get in the festive spirit and relive every Christmas Number 1 ever: