He started out as the wildest lad in Take That, left the band in the mid-nineties and in 1997 released his solo debut, Life Thru a Lens, featuring Angels. It’s been sung ever since in stadiums, at weddings and in karaoke bars at three in the morning. Then came Millennium, She’s the One, Feel and Rock DJ, plus a swing album that briefly turned the rebel into a gentleman in a bow tie. In 2005 he added a Guinness World Record: he sold more than 1.6 million tour tickets in a single day. No poster-boy pop star. More a showman who takes the mickey out of his own fame before anyone else gets the chance.
Robbie Williams now officially has more UK number one albums than the Beatles. Britpop (2026) was his sixteenth. Before it happened, he admitted that just the thought of that record brought out his imposter syndrome. He’s also the only singer whose life story in the film Better Man is played by a digital chimpanzee. And it actually fits perfectly: Robbie has never been perfect, but he’s always been unforgettable. Whether he deserves the crown of the King of Entertainment, you can judge for yourself. Spoiler: he does.