Christmas number ones: Every festive chart topper since records began, from The Beatles to Ed Sheeran
British singer
The Spice Girls achieved three consecutive Christmas number ones in the 1990s
The race to be top of the British singles chart at Christmas has been an annual event every December since 1952.
The Beatles, unsurprisingly, hold the record for the most Christmas number ones, with four, however the top spot has been claimed for the last three years by YouTuber LadBaby. The Spice Girls also had an impressive three consecutive victories in the mid-Nineties, with Cliff Richard also having a hat trick to his name.
Band Aid's charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" enjoys the distinction of being the only song to have topped the charts on 25 December on three occasions. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was number one on the big day in 1975, and again when it was re-released in 1991 as a tribute to the band's late frontman, Freddie Mercury.
A 2002 win by Girls Aloud, then recently emerged from ITV's Popstars: The Rivals, was a forewarning of Simon Cowell's imminent Christmas chart takeover.
The winning acts from his successor series, The X Factor, stormed to the top every year between 2005 and 2008 before the public revolted and a protest campaign led to rap-metal band Rage Against The Machine's 1992 track "Killing in the Name" beating Joe McElderry in 2009.
The rebellion was short-lived, however, with X Factor alumni Matt Cardle, Sam Bailey and Ben Haenow all subsequently achieving the number one spot.
Here's the complete list of every British Christmas number one since records began.
Looking through it, the British public reveals reassuringly good taste, broadly speaking. Although there are a few novelty record atrocities in there – Benny Hill, Mr Blobby, Bob the Builder – such classic artists as Harry Belafonte, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Pink Floyd, The Human League, The Pet Shop Boys, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson all feature.
Christmas number ones:
1952 "Here in My Heart" – Al Martino
1953 "Answer Me" – Frankie Laine
1954 "Let's Have Another Party" – Winifred Atwell
1955 "Christmas Alphabet" – Dickie Valentine
1956 "Just Walkin' in the Rain" – Johnnie Ray
1957 "Mary's Boy Child" – Harry Belafonte
1958 "It's Only Make Believe" – Conway Twitty
1959 "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes At Me For?" – Tennessee Ernie Ford
1960 "I Love You" – Cliff Richard
1961 "Moon River" – Danny Williams
1962 "Return to Sender" – Elvis Presley
1963 "I Want To Hold Your Hand" – The Beatles
1964 "I Feel Fine" – The Beatles
1965 "Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out" – The Beatles
1966 "The Green, Green Grass of Home" – Tom Jones
1967 "Hello Goodbye" – The Beatles
1968 "Lily the Pink" – Scaffold
1969 "Two Little Boys" – Rolf Harris
1970 "I Hear You Knockin'" – Dave Edmunds
1971 "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)" – Benny Hill
1972 "Long-Haired Lover from Liverpool" – Jimmy Osmond
1973 "Merry Xmas Everyone" – Slade
1974 "Lonely this Christmas" – Mud
1975 "Bohemian Rhapsody" – Queen
1976 "When a Child is Born" – Johnny Mathis
1977 "Mull of Kintyre/Girl's School" – Wings
1978 "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" – Boney M
1979 "Another Brick in the Wall" – Pink Floyd
1980 "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" – St Winifred's School Choir
1981 "Don't You Want Me?" – The Human League
1982 "Save Your Love" – Renee & Renato
1983 "Only You" – The Flying Pickets
1984 "Do They Know It's Christmas?" – Band Aid
1985 "Merry Christmas Everyone" – Shakin' Stevens
1986 "Reet Petite" – Jackie Wilson
1987 "Always on My Mind" – The Pet Shop Boys
1988 "Mistletoe and Wine" – Cliff Richard
1989 "Do They Know It's Christmas?" – Band Aid II
1990 "Saviour's Day" – Cliff Richard
1991 "Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are the Days of Our Lives" – Queen
1992 "I Will Always Love You" – Whitney Houston
1993 "Mr Blobby" – Mr Blobby
1994 "Stay Another Day" – East 17
1995 "Earth Song" – Michael Jackson
1996 "2 Become 1" – The Spice Girls
1997 "Too Much" – The Spice Girls
1998 "Goodbye" – The Spice Girls
1999 "I Have a Dream/Seasons in the Sun" – Westlife
2000 "Can We Fix it?" – Bob the Builder
2001 "Somethin' Stupid" – Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman
2002 "Sound of the Underground" – Girls Aloud
2003 "Mad World" – Gary Jules and Michael Andrews
2004 "Do They Know It's Christmas?" – Band Aid 20
2005 "That's My Goal" – Shayne Ward
2006 "A Moment Like This" – Leona Lewis
2007 "When You Believe" – Leon Jackson
2008 "Hallelujah" – Alexandra Burke
2009 "Killing in the Name" – Rage Against The Machine
2010 "When We Collide" – Matt Cardle
2011 "Wherever You Are" – The Military Wives Choir with Gareth Malone
2012 "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" – The Justice Collective
2013 "Skyskraper" – Sam Bailey
2014 "Something I Need" – Ben Haenow
2015 "A Bridge Over You" – The Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir
2016 "Rockabye" – Clean Bandit
2017 "Perfect" – Ed Sheeran
2018 "We Built This City" – LadBaby
2019 "I Love Sausage Rolls" – LadBaby
2020 "Don't Stop Me Eatin'" - LadBaby
Amazingly, many of our favourite seasonal songs never made it to the summit: "I Wish it Could be Christmas Every Day" by Wizzard, "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, "Last Christmas" by Wham! and "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey all missed out.
Those artists can take comfort from their annual royalty cheques, however.
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