High demand for Robbie Williams' latest single has persuaded his record company to bring its release forward by a week.

Feel, which is the first single from his new album Escapology, will now hit shops on 2 December, not the following Monday as planned.

The airplay for the video and the single is fantastic at the moment

Spokesman for Robbie Williams

The shift was made after radio and music television stations put it into heavy rotation, a spokesman for the singer said.

But he denied that it had anything to do with Williams wanting to avoid a chart show-down with Gareth Gates, Holly Valance, Blue and Pink, who all release singles on 9 December.

"The airplay for the video and the single is fantastic at the moment," the spokesman told BBC News Online.

"It's gone straight to the top of the playlists. The video for Feel has had a phenomenal response already.

"It was premiered on Top of the Pops on Friday and everyone's talking about it."

The change was also made to bring the UK release date in line with that in other European countries.

Christmas hit

Feel will now be released on the same day as new singles by Eminem, Ms Dynamite and Bon Jovi.

It is 10/1 with bookmakers to be Christmas number one - behind the two groups created by reality TV show Popstars and Gareth Gates.

Williams revealed on BBC Radio 1 on Monday that he would perform a live set of three tracks from Escapology into the top 40 chart show on Sunday to celebrate 50 years of the chart.

The album, which is released on 18 November, is expected to be one of the biggest sellers of the year.

It is the first to be released under a new record deal with major label EMI, worth a reported �80m.

'Brutal'

But the deal also provided the catalyst for the split between Williams and his long-time songwriting partner Guy Chambers.

Chambers co-wrote many of the star's biggest hits, and recently described the parting as "brutal".

But Williams told a magazine: "I think Guy thinks people buy tickets to come and see him.

"I'd find it hugely disrespectful if anybody in my record company thought a lion's share of the songs weren't done by me."