In the 1950s and 1960s, a "third vinyl format" was introduced alongside long-playing (LP) albums, and singles. The extended play (EP) used the same formats as singles but contained more tracks. Singles were the popular record format at the time – predominantly 10-inch 78 rpm and 7-inch 45 rpm formats – and the first singles chart was published by the New Musical Express in 1952, with many other publications also producing singles charts in the 1950s and 1960s. Record Mirror published the first album chart in 1956, and when Record Retailer began compiling an LP chart on 12 March 1960, they also compiled an EP chart. The EP chart consisted of a top ten, and was expanded to fifteen positions the following week, and twenty the week after that.

EPs "died out in the late 1960s", and Record Retailer reduced the chart to ten positions on 16 April 1966, publishing the final EP chart on 16 December 1967. For six weeks in 1966 and two weeks in December 1967, Record Retailer did not publish EP charts, but they were compiled, and Record Mirror published them; Record Mirror had begun publishing charts compiled by Record Retailer in March 1962, following a decision to stop compiling their own albums and singles charts.

The longest consecutive duration at the top of the chart was 23 weeks for The Shadows' EP The Shadows to the Fore. The most weeks at number one was achieved by The Beach Boys EP Hits, which spent 34 weeks there from June 1966, and was the incumbent number one when the chart ceased at the end of 1967. The Beatles had eight different EPs top the chart, as did The Shadows (four with Cliff Richard and four on their own). The Shadows spent 69 weeks with an EP on top of the chart in comparison to The Beatles' 63 weeks. Conversely, only four acts spent a total of one week atop the chart; Joan Baez, Jim Reeves, the George Mitchell Minstrels and Bobby Vee (with The Crickets). Although official music recording sales certifications were not introduced until the British Phonographic Industry was formed in 1973, Disc introduced an initiative in 1959 to present a silver disc to records selling over 250,000 units.

Seven EPs are recorded as going silver: The Beatles' number-one EPs Twist and Shout, The Beatles' Hits, All My Loving, Long Tall Sally, as well as The Beatles (No. 1) and Magical Mystery Tour (which did not reach number one but would have done so had the EP chart lasted only a few more weeks) and The Rolling Stones' number-one EP Five by Five.

Number-one EPs 19601961196219631964196519661967

ArtistEPReachednumber oneWeeks atnumber one and The Shadows Expresso Bongo 1 Strictly Elvis 5 and The Shadows Expresso Bongo 1 Strictly for Grown Ups 1 and the Checkmates Emile 1 Strictly for Grown Ups 1 and the Checkmates Emile 2 Strictly for Grown Ups 12 Paddy Roberts Strikes Again 2 Strictly for Grown Ups 1 Original Soundtrack Highlights from South Pacific 1 Strictly for Grown Ups 3 Original Soundtrack Highlights from South Pacific 3 Strictly for Grown Ups 1 Original Soundtrack Highlights from South Pacific 5 Adam's Hit Parade 1 and The Shadows Cliff's Silver Discs 1 Original Soundtrack Highlights from South Pacific 1 and The Shadows Cliff's Silver Discs 2 Adam's Hit Parade 1 17 Adam's Hit Parade 1 310 2311 Helen 9 412 Spotlight on The Shadows 313 Helen's Hit Parade 3 Spotlight on The Shadows 5 1 Helen's Hit Parade 114 and The Shadows Hits from "The Young Ones" 215 Follow That Dream 2016 317 Kid Galahad 518 From The Black and White Minstrel Show 1 Kid Galahad 1119 Frank Ifield's Hits 1 Kid Galahad 1 Frank Ifield's Hits 820 and The Crickets Just for Fun 121 and The Shadows Holiday Carnival 1 Frank Ifield's Hits 2 and The Shadows Holiday Carnival 1 Frank Ifield's Hits 2 and The Shadows Holiday Carnival 122 Twist and Shout 1023 Ain't Gonna Kiss Ya 424 3 Twist and Shout 1125 326 All My Loving 8 1127 Long Tall Sally 728 Five by Five 1529 Extracts from the Film "A Hard Day's Night" 230 2 Extracts from the Film "A Hard Day's Night" 3 Five by Five 1 Extracts from the Film "A Hard Day's Night" 1 Five by Five 131 Kinksize Session 1 Five by Five 132 3 Five by Five 3 133 Beatles for Sale 534 Bumble Bee 2 Beatles for Sale 135 136 Got Live If You Want It! 1 4 Got Live If You Want It! 1 437 Donovan The Universal Soldier 838 Kwyet Kinks 739 No Living Without Loving 740 241 3 242 Yesterday 843 With God on our Side 144 Machines 145 Hits 446 I Need You 10 Hits 4 I Need You 3 Hits 747 Ready Steady Who 248 1 Ready Steady Who 2 Hits 749 Morningtown Ride 150 Four Tops Four Top Hits 1051 Paul Jones Sings Songs from the Film Privilege 3 Four Tops Four Top Hits 552 Easy Come, Easy Go 3 Hits 6 Four Tops Four Top Hits 1 Hits 1 Four Tops Four Top Hits 1 Hits 1 Four Tops Four Top Hits 5 Hits 4

By artist The following artists achieved two or more number-one EPs. Artists The Beatles and The Shadows were the most successful acts of the decade in terms of number-one EPs, each having eight EPs reach the top of the chart. In total, The Shadows spent 69 weeks occupying the top of chart (59 weeks from 4 EPs as an instrumental group and 10 weeks from 4 EPs accompanying Cliff Richard) and The Beatles spent a total of 63 weeks at number one.

ArtistNumber-one EPsTotal weeks869863445410337317221213282624

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