u/Musicality123

The UK charts have always been pure sales and not weighted sales & airplay like in the US. However adding the two together makes for interesting results for the UK chart toppers.

The weight is the two positions added then halved. As you can see the chart toppers go down to only 14 songs from 79.

It would certainly have created a different discourse around popular boybands in Britain using the US metric and not pure sales.

I Owe You Nothing - Bros #2 (1988)

You Got It (The Right Stuff) - New Kids on the Block #6 (1989)

Hangin' Tough - New Kids on the Block #5 (1990)

I Wanna Sex You Up - Color Me Badd #4 (1991)

End of The Road - Boyz II Men #1, 2 weeks (1992)

Pray - Take That #1, 1 week (1993)

Relight My Fire - Take That feat Lulu #2 (1993)

Babe - Take That #1, 1 week (1993)

Everything Changes - Take That #2 (1994) 

Sure - Take That #2 (1994)

Stay Another Day - East 17 #1, 4 weeks (1994)

Back For Good - Take That #1, 4 weeks (1995)

Never Forget - Take That #2 (1995)

How Deep Is Your Love - Take That #2 (1996)

Words - Boyzone #3 (1996)

A Different Beat - Boyzone #4 (1996)

MMMBop - Hanson #1, 1 week (1997)

All That I Need - Boyzone #2 (1998)

Freak Me - Another Level #6 (1998)

No Matter What - Boyzone #1, 2 weeks (1998)

A Little Bit More - 911 #2 (1999)

When The Going Gets Tough - Boyzone #3 (1999)

Swear It Again - Westlife #5 (1999)

I Want It That Way - Backstreet Boys #6 (1999)

You Needed Me - Boyzone #6 (1999)

If I Let You Go - Westlife #4 (1999)

Flying Without Wings - Westlife #5 (1999)

Keep On Movin' - Five #3 (1999)

I Have A Dream/Seasons In The Sun - Westlife #4 (1999)

Fool Again - Westlife #5 (2000)

We Will Rock You - Five & Queen #9 (2000)

Take On Me - A1 #20 (2000)

Against All Odds - Westlife feat Mariah Carey #6 (2000)

My Love - Westlife #3 (2000)

Same Old Brand New You - A1 #20 (2000)

Uptown Girl - Westlife #5 (2001)

Let's Dance - Five #3 (2001)

Too Close - Blue #3 (2001)

Queen Of My Heart - Westlife #9 (2001)

If You Come Back - Blue #3 (2001)

World Of Our Own - Westlife #2 (2002)

Crossroads - Blazin' Squad #7 (2002)

Unbreakable - Westlife #8 (2002)

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word - Blue feat Elton John #3 (2002)

You Said No - Busted #8 (2003)

Crashed The Wedding - Busted #12 (2003)

Mandy - Westlife #4 (2003)

Who's David - Busted #16 (2004)

5 Colours In Her Hair - McFly #18 (2004)

Obviously - McFly #14 (2004)

Thunderbirds/3AM - Busted #26 (2004)

All About You/You've Got A Friend - McFly #2 (2005)

I'll Be OK - McFly #10 (2005)

You Raise Me Up - Westlife #11 (2005)

Don't Stop Me Now/Please, Please - McFly #24 (2006)

Star Girl - McFly #16 (2006)

The Rose - Westlife #26 (2006)

Patience - Take That #1, 4 weeks (2006)

Shine - Take That #1, 1 week (2007)

Transylvania/Baby's Coming Back - McFly #26 (2007)

Greatest Day - Take That #1, 1 week (2008)

Beat Again - JLS #1, 2 weeks (2009)

Everybody In Love - JLS #1, 1 week (2009)

The Club Is Alive - JLS #4 (2010)

All Time Low - The Wanted #5 (2010)

Love You More - JLS #1, 1 week (2010)

Glad You Came - The Wanted #3 (2011)

She Makes Me Wanna - JLS feat Dev #1, 1 week (2011)

What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction #2 (2011)

Little Things - One Direction #5 (2012)

One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks) - One Direction #6 (2013)

She Looks So Perfect - 5 Seconds of Summer #15 (2014)

These Days - Take That #2 (2014)

Drag Me Down - One Direction #2 minimum, not a #1 airplay hit, actual airplay position not found (2015)

Tally:

Take That: 6

JLS: 4

Boyz II Men, Boyzone, East 17, Hanson: 1

5 Seconds of Summer, 911, A1, Another Level, Backstreet Boys, Blazin' Squad, Blue, Bros, Busted, Color Me Badd, Five, McFly, New Kids on the Block, One Direction, The Wanted, Westlife: 0

Digital Spy Number Ones Vote 1952-2018: Average Out of 10. Voted on by a range of music fan and age in 2019. A more diverse general public assessment.

I have listed the boyband chart topper results here from 1988 - 2018: Sorry for the long list but as you can see quite a few topped the UK charts!

1.Patience - Take That, 8.00 (2006)

2.Back For Good - Take That, 6.61 (1995)

3.These Days - Take That, 6.38 (2014)

4.Drag Me Down - One Direction, 6.25 (2015)

5.No Matter What - Boyzone, 6.0 (1998)

6.Shine - Take That, 5.86 (2007)

7.Greatest Day - Take That, 5.82 (2008)

8.Stay Another Day - East 17, 5.80 (1994)

9.I Want It That Way - Backstreet Boys, 5.75 (1999)

10.5 Colours In Her Hair - McFly, 5.63 (2004)

11=.All About You - McFly, 5.50 (2005)

11=.She Looks So Perfect - 5 Seconds of Summer, 5.50 (2014)

13.If You Come Back - Blue, 5.42 (2001)

14.Star Girl - McFly, 5.33 (2006)

15.MMMBop - Hanson, 5.30 (1997)

16.All Time Low - The Wanted, 5.14 (2010)

17.Freak Me - Another Level, 5.08 (1998)

18.Relight My Fire - Take That feat Lulu, 5.04 (1993)

19.Please, Please - McFly, 5.0 (2006)

20.Flying Without Wings - Westlife, 4.88 (1999)

21.Love You More - JLS, 4.86 (2010)

22.Everything Changes - Take That, 4.82 (1994) 

23.Keep On Movin' - Five, 4.76 (1999)

24.Pray - Take That, 4.75 (1993)

25.End of The Road - Boyz II Men, 4.73 (1992)

26.Let's Dance - Five, 4.69 (2001)

27.Obviously - McFly, 4.63 (2004)

28.What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction, 4.62 (2011)

29.Never Forget - Take That, 4.59 (1995)

30.One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks) - One Direction, 4.56 (2013)

31.Too Close - Blue, 4.55 (2001)

32.Swear It Again - Westlife, 4.54 (1999)

33.Don't Stop Me Now - McFly, 4.50 (2006)

34.You Got It (The Right Stuff) - New Kids on the Block, 4.46 (1989)

35.When The Going Gets Tough - Boyzone, 4.38 (1999)

36.World Of Our Own - Westlife, 4.23 (2002)

37.If I Let You Go - Westlife, 4.21 (1999)

38.Same Old Brand New You - A1, 4.13 (2000)

39.I'll Be OK - McFly, 4.10 (2005)

40.Glad You Came - The Wanted, 4.08 (2011)

41.I Owe You Nothing - Bros, 4.04 (1988)

42=Sure - Take That, 4.00 (1994)

42=I Have A Dream - Westlife, 4.00 (1999)

42=Thunderbirds - Busted, 4.00 (2004)

45.Crashed The Wedding - Busted, 3.92 (2003)

46.Words - Boyzone 3.90 (1996)

47.My Love - Westlife, 3.87 (2000)

48.Hangin' Tough - New Kids on the Block, 3.86 (1990)

49.3AM - Busted, 3.83 (2004)

50.Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word - Blue feat Elton John, 3.82 (2002)

51.A Little Bit More - 911, 3.79 (1999)

52.You Said No - Busted, 3.78 (2003)

53.Little Things - One Direction, 3.75 (2012)

54.I Wanna Sex You Up - Color Me Badd, 3.70 (1991)

55.The Rose - Westlife, 3.67 (2006)

56=.All That I Need - Boyzone, 3.63 (1998)

56=.Fool Again - Westlife, 3.63 (2000)

58.Take On Me - A1, 3.60 (2000)

59.You've Got A Friend - McFly, 3.58 (2005)

60.The Club Is Alive - JLS, 3.57 (2010)

61.How Deep Is Your Love - Take That, 3.52 (1996)

62.Who's David - Busted, 3.43 (2004)

63=.Uptown Girl - Westlife, 3.38 (2001)

63=.She Makes Me Wanna - JLS feat Dev, 3.38. (2011)

65.You Needed Me - Boyzone, 3.33 (1999)

66.Babe - Take That, 3.26 (1993)

67.We Will Rock You - Five & Queen, 3.20 (2000)

68.Beat Again - JLS, 3.18 (2009)

69.Seasons In The Sun - Westlife, 3.11 (1999)

70.A Different Beat - Boyzone, 3.0 (1996)

71.Everybody In Love - JLS, 2.91 (2009)

72=Mandy - Westlife, 2.86 (2003)

72=You Raise Me Up - Westlife, 2.86 (2005)

74.Transylvania - McFly, 2.78 (2007)

75.Unbreakable - Westlife, 2.77 (2002)

76.Crossroads - Blazin' Squad, 2.69 (2002)

77.Queen Of My Heart - Westlife, 2.55 (2001)

78.Baby's Coming Back - McFly, 2.33 (2007)

79.Against All Odds - Westlife feat Mariah Carey, 2.30 (2000)

Will we finally see a Howard solo album?

If we do and it goes UK top 10 then all of them, except Jason, would have achieved this feat. For a boyband that is quite rare.