One Direction to hold on to Number 1 album this weekend

Plus: Find out where Il Divo, Rebecca Ferguson, Leona Lewis and Britney Spears are set to enter the Official Albums Chart on Sunday...

The British record buying public’s love affair with One Direction shows no sign of letting up as Harry, Louis, Niall, Zayn and Liam’s third full-length, Midnight Memories, looks set to hold onto the Number 1 spot on the Official Albums Chart for a second week running.

On Sunday, Midnight Memories became not only the fastest selling artist album of 2013 so far, but the fastest selling album of 1D’s career to date. It sold more than 237,000 copies during its first week on sale, beating the first week tally of the previous record holder, Random Access Memories by Daft Punk (165,000 copies week one). If it continues to sell at its current rate, by Christmas, Midnight Memories could become one of the biggest selling albums of the year.

Meanwhile, Take That stars Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow switch places on today’s Update with Robbie’s Swings Both Ways climbing one place to Number 2, and Gary’s Since I Saw You Last is down one to 3.

Il Divo are headed for their sixth Top 10 album and this week’s highest new entry with A Musical Affair (4), while Olly Murs is down one to 5 with Right Place, Right Time.

New Entries

In addition to Il Divo’s A Musical Affair (4), there are five other new entries on this week’s Official Albums Chart Update.

Rebecca Ferguson’s long-awaited second album, Freedom, is currently at Number 6 on today’s Update. The X Factor star finished as runner up behind winner Matt Cardle in thereality TV singing contest. Her first album, Heaven, was released in 2011 and peaked at Number 3 on the Official Albums Chart. It has sold nearly 650,000 copies to date.

Leona Lewis is set to enter at Number 17 on Sunday with her new Christmas album, Christmas With Love, while pop princess Britney Spears is a new entry midweek at Number 19 with her eighth album, Britney Jean.

Britain’s Got Talent finalists Richard And Adam’s The Christmas Album (25) and Muse’s Live At Rome Olympic Stadium (30) complete today’s new entries.

The Official Albums Chart Update Top 40 is as follows. The Official Albums Chart Top 100 will be posted in full, here, on Sunday at 7pm.

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