Robbie Williams last scored a number one single in 2004 but the former Take That star looks as though he’s heading for the top of the charts this weekend 'with his latest single ‘Candy,’ according to NME.com. It’s the first single to be taken from his forthcoming album Take The Crown and has sold 73,000 copies so far, since its release.

Sales will have been buoyed by his appearance on last week’s X Factor show, during which he joked with his Take That pal Gary Barlow about his support for the controversial contestant on the show, Rylan Clark. When he was asked by Radio One’s Greg James (who presents the station’s weekly official chart show) what he would do if he got the number one slot this Sunday (November 4, 2012), he replied that he would “stay in, look for UFOs, get fat and beardy again.” Robbie’s last number one single was ‘Radio,’ which coincided with the release of his Greatest Hits album in 2004. His ninth studio album, Take The Crown, will be released on November 5, 2012.

Last week, Labrinth and Emeli Sande’s duet ‘Our Version Of Events’ also hit the top spot, after they had performed live on X Factor, though they have slipped to third place, in the midweek charts analysis. The X Factor effect shouldn’t be underestimated. Fun have just leapt 29 places with ‘We Are Young’, after they also appeared on the TV talent contest in the UK.