CAST your mind back to November 2002, when The X Factor was still just a glint in Simon Cowell’s eye, most of Little Mix were in primary school, and the big ITV talent show was Popstars: The Rivals.

The series gave viewers the chance to create a girl group and a boy band, who would then release singles that would go head to head in the charts.

Despite the conventional wisdom that teenage girls would only part with their pocket money for a boy band, it wasn’t One True Voice who reached number one.

Instead, it was Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle and Sarah Harding who found enduring fame. From the off, they were blessed with some of the best-crafted pop tunes of the 21st century, thanks to hitmakers Xenomania topped with the girls’ own sprinkling of pop magic. From Sound Of The Underground to No 2 single Something New, this greatest hits collection displays what has kept loyal fans listening and waiting for their return after a three-year hiatus.

The four new tracks prove Girls Aloud have still got it in spades, with ballad Beautiful ‘Cause You Love Me showing a fragility not usually seen from the feisty fivesome.

On The Metro, co-written by Roberts, remains faithful to the girls’ signature sound, while Every Now And Then is classic melancholic Xenomania.

The pop queens are back and long may they reign.