Runner-up at Eurovision and on the singles chart with Space Man in May, Sam Ryder has better luck on the albums chart, where his first release, There’s Nothing But Space, Man!, dashes to a No.1 debut this week on consumption of 24,847 units (15,921 CDs, 2,651 vinyl albums, 1,414 cassettes, 3,052 digital downloads and 1,809 sales-equivalent streams).

The 33-year-old singer/songwriter from Maldon was born five years later and five miles away from fellow Essex boy Olly Murs, who topped ...