The return of Peter Kay’s hit comedy Car Share has seen a classic compilation album shoot back into the music charts - after it was featured heavily in the opening episode of the new series.

Hits album NOW 48, first released in 2001, has shot back in to the music charts as fans clamoured to get hold of the album that had a key role in Tuesday’s big return of the BBC comedy.

(Image: BBC)

Sales of the vintage album online also jumped in to the top best sellers on Amazon’s Compilation Chart.

Having been available for as little as 11p at the start of the week, copies are now being fought over by fans and the price has leapt to more than £20 on the likes of eBay .

This has been achieved entirely through second hand sales of the long out-of-production CD.

The show follows the conversations of a couple of friends, John and Kayleigh, over the course of their daily commutes to and from work.

NOW 48, one of the bestselling albums of 2001 selling over a million copies in that year alone, was revealed to be the character Kayleigh’s favourite album, which she leaves in the car for John to listen to.

(Image: PA)

The compilation features 2001 classics from the likes of Gorillaz, Kylie Minogue and S Club Seven, as well as a variation on the Bob the Builder theme.

And who can forget Hear'Say's Pure and Simple or Steps' It's the Way You Make Me Feel from a vintage year for pop music.

Peter Duckworth of NOW Music said: “This is an industry first to see this album re-enter the charts.

“NOW 48 was the last NOW album released on minidisk format, so it’s a pleasant surprise to see it having a renaissance thanks to the show. The tracks still resonate with the public – as a result we’ve decided to make NOW 48 available in its entirety on the NOW+ streaming app.”

What songs are on NOW 48?