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Tom Kerridge’s Dopamine Diet (Absolute) has leapfrogged two Joe Wicks titles to claim the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, shifting 15,279 copies for £160,976. The “happy hormone”-focused diet, which helped Kerridge lose 11 stone, is the TV chef’s first number one.
It is also Bloomsbury’s first since Christmas 2008, when J K Rowling’s The Tales of Beedle the Bard reigned, and its first non-fiction title to hit the top spot (and only the second non-Rowling title to do so).
However, not to upset Kerridge’s low-sugar apple cart, but Dopamine Diet’s volume is the lowest for a number one since April 2013, when Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl (W&N) took the top spot with just 14,993 copies sold. Compared to January 2016’s first three weeks, which saw Wicks’ Lean in 15 (Bluebird) sell a combined 242,000 copies in the number one spot, the combined first three chart-toppers of 2017, Lean in 15, Lean in 15: The Sustain Plan and Dopamine Diet have sold just 52,000 copies between them.
As the clean-eating trend is declared dead, it’s worth noting Kerridge’s diet tome is a glossy hardback full of recipes and lots of food photos. While the gluten-free, kale-heavy ethos of the wellness blogger may be in retreat, the diet book now has a new template—although notably it’s male authors Kerridge, Wicks and Jamie Oliver (with Everyday Super Food) who have had the most success copying the Deliciously Ella formula, without attracting the same criticism.
Wicks had to settle for “just” second, third and—his lowest chart position of the year so far—11th, for Lean in 15: The Shape Plan. However, he did claim a 47th week as Paperback Non-Fiction number one, putting him level with the category chart’s longest-running author in the top spot, that other curly-haired dynamo Jeremy Clarkson.
Wicks’ Bluebird stablemate and fellow Instagram personal trainer Kayla Itsines’ The Bikini Body 28-Day Healthy Eating & Lifestyle Guide was boosted an endorphin-inducing 26 places up the Top 50 to sixth, hitting the top 10 for the first time.
Frank Gardner’s Crisis (Bantam) rocketed into fourth place, selling 11,848 copies and swiping the Mass Market Fiction title from Jessie Burton’s The Muse (Picador). Transworld have now taken the MMF number one 34 times over the last 52 weeks.
Louise Doughty’s Apple Tree Yard (Faber) entered the Top 50 in 21st place—bookbuyers were clearly getting their purchases in early last week before the BBC TV adaptation started on Sunday night. Maybe 5,939 people wanted to be able to say “I thought the book was better” around the office watercooler on Monday morning.
The market’s value last week was £25.7m, a near constant on the week before—dropping only by £8,500. Despite the number one title’s low volume, as a whole it was marginally up (0.5%) on the same week a year ago, pulling in just over £100,000 more. And average selling price maintained its high levels, rocketing to £8.52—a record for January.