2000–02: Formation, Busted and rise to fame

 

Busted were formed in early 2000 and originally consisted of James Bourne, Matt Willis, Ki Fitzgerald and Owen Doyle.

This version of Busted broke up in late 2000 and Tom Fletcher was auditioned and offered a place in the group to complete the lineup. 24 hours later, Busted's manager told Fletcher via a telephone call that the band was to go ahead as a trio, comprising 'Bourne, 'Willis and Charlie Simpson, who was at the same audition as Fletcher. 'Bourne and 'Willis had written songs together and Simpson later auditioned to be the third member.

The band was launched in August 2002, making their first appearance on the cover of Smash Hits with the headline:

"Meet Busted: They're Going to Be Bigger than Rik Waller!", making it a first for any pop band to appear on the magazine's cover before releasing a single. Their debut single, "What I Go to School For", was finally released in September 2002, reaching number three in the UK charts.

Their debut album Busted was then released, initially charting only around the UK Top 30 and receiving mixed reviews from critics.

The follow-up "Year 3000", which was written about James Bourne's obsession with the film "Back to the Future",

then followed in January 2003, reaching number two in the UK chart. In April, their third single, "You Said No" finally reached number one. Guinness Hit Singles certified them as the first band to have their debut three singles enter the top three in an ascending order.

Recording began for their second album while the debut album was re-released with new tracks and an enhanced CD section. It would go onto sell 1.2 million copies by the end of the year. The debut album's final single, "Sleeping with the Light On", reached number 3 in August 2003, beaten to number one by Blu Cantrell's "Breathe"