Take That v Britney Spears

• 8th Dec 2008

So, 'The Circus' rather than 'Circus' should be number one this weekend according to midweek stats relating to this most confusing of chart battles. Yes, Take That's new album 'The Circus' is outselling Britney Spears' new album 'Circus' more than five to one. The former has reportedly shifted 133,000 units, while the latter has only sold 24,000.

If you're finding the similar album names confusing, well, Take That's Mark Owen is finding it irritating. He told reporters the band chose their name after being inspired by a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, but says they considered changing it after learning what Britney's album would be called.

Owen told the TV Times: “When I heard about Britney, it ruined it for me, to a point. We actually considered re-naming the album but that wouldn't have worked. The title simply fits the record and, besides, the artwork was already finished”.

He added that he didn't have any real ill feeling towards Spears though – which isn't surprising really, I'm not sure Mark Owen could have ill feeling towards anyone. He concluded: “Things weren't going so well for her, so I hope she has success with this record – but if only she'd given it another name”.