Gray shuts the Gates

David Gray, the reclusive singer-songwriter, today dealt a blow to the world of manufactured music by beating Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates to the No 1 spot in the UK album charts.

Gray's latest album A New Day At Midnight, the follow-up to his phenomenally successful White Ladder, sold 118,000 copies last week, easily beating Gates's much-hyped debut What My Heart Wants To Say into second place.

The surprise result - Gates's first offering was hotly tipped to be No 1 - will be hailed as a victory for "real music" in the face of the glut of artists inspired, trained and publicised by reality television shows.

Gray, who released four previous albums in virtual obscurity, refuses to allow his face to appear on posters, magazine covers or T-shirts.

While Gates has done numerous album-signing sessions with the public, Gray has done only three interviews to promote his new release.

Even Simon Fuller, the creator of Pop Idol and Gates's manager, believes the public may be losing its appetite for his products.

Asked about the future of game-show pop in an interview last week, he said: "In Britain, the bubble is about to burst."

Ratings for the new Popstars show are also noticeably down on the previous series.