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Christmas Number 1 2015 to be announced live on Top of the Pops and BBC Radio 1
With the race for this year's Christmas Number 1 all ready to explode out of the starting blocks, make sure you know where and when to tune in!
We're excited to announce that Top of the Pops will return to BBC One for two hour-long programmes dedicated to 2015's festive music battle on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, and will feature performances from some of pop's brightest stars, including Jess Glynne, OMI, Little Mix, James Bay, Sigma & Rita Ora and Ellie Goulding.
Meanwhile, Greg James will also reveal the news live on BBC Radio 1 in a special three-hour show from 10am-1pm.
It's a historic race this year as it's the first time the top spot has been unveiled on a Friday since moving from its Sunday slot earlier this year, and it's also Greg James's Christmas Number 1 debut.
He said: "It's the biggest chart of the year, and it's worth delaying my entire family's Christmas celebrations for! I love being the Official Chart host, and I’m so excited that I’ll be announcing the Christmas number 1 LIVE on Christmas day."
With the race for this year's Christmas Number 1 all ready to explode out of the starting blocks, make sure you know where and when to tune in!
We're excited to announce that Top of the Pops will return to BBC One for two hour-long programmes dedicated to 2015's festive music battle on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, and will feature performances from some of pop's brightest stars, including Jess Glynne, OMI, Little Mix, James Bay, Sigma & Rita Ora and Ellie Goulding.
Meanwhile, Greg James will also reveal the news live on BBC Radio 1 in a special three-hour show from 10am-1pm.
It's a historic race this year as it's the first time the top spot has been unveiled on a Friday since moving from its Sunday slot earlier this year, and it's also Greg James's Christmas Number 1 debut.
He said: "It's the biggest chart of the year, and it's worth delaying my entire family's Christmas celebrations for! I love being the Official Chart host, and I’m so excited that I’ll be announcing the Christmas number 1 LIVE on Christmas day."
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Christmas Number 1 2015: The contenders revealed
Who will take this year's Christmas chart-topper crown? Feast your ears on this year’s contenders... It’s that most wonderful time of the year…again. The Official Christmas Number 1 race is about to begin! To give you a good spot from the sidelines (because there’s a whole bunch of festive-loving balladeers vying for your attention as usual), we’ve lovingly compiled our annual list of contenders. Unsurprisingly, the line-up is as varied and delightful as a tin of Crawford’s Family Circle biscuits, with the popular one, the underdog, the one that probably only your gran will like - and the John Lewis ad. Will the soundtrack to an epic space opera franchise hit the sales high it needs to win the race? Maybe you’ll be moved to support one of this year’s Christmas charity singles? Then there are offerings from Kylie, Carly and Shirley, and more. Is a new star about to be born or is there no more room at the inn? You can find out on Friday, December 25, after the Official Charts Company have totted up your sales and audio streams and Greg James unveils the victor on BBC Radio 1’s Official Chart show. Make sure you tune in – we all know Christmas wouldn’t be the same without this beloved musical institution. Feast your ears on this year’s Christmas singles banquet… Song: X Factor winner’s single Artist: TBC Released: December 13 It’s now an annual tradition (an unfortunate one to some) that the X Factor winner’s single is a strong contender for Christmas Number 1. Though given the song (rumoured to be a cover of Bob Dylan’s Forever Young) will be released the week prior to race week, it’s by no means a shoo-in for the festive top spot this year. It’s currently the bookies’ favourite to claim the Number 1, but history dictates that when X Factor releases the week prior to the Christmas Number 1 race week, someone else usually sneaks in and nabs it. Little Mix lost out to Military Wives in 2011, and James Arthur was knocked off the Xmas top spot by The Justice Collective in 2012. Could we see another X Factor-less Christmas chart-topper this year? Song: Star Wars theme Artist: John Williams Released: December 18 We’re not sure whether they celebrate Christmas on Alderaan, Endor, or Kashyyyk, but if they did we imagine it would be pretty epic. There’s been a Facebook campaign to get the newly re-scored theme song to Number 1 brewing for a few weeks now, and it’s already amassed nearly half a million likes. So with Star Wars fever currently at an all-time high – it is one of the most anticipated films of the year, after all - there’s no reason why this tune can’t obliterate its enemies and win the race. And Facebook campaigns do have a good track history, it must be said… Song: A Bridge Over You Artist: The Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir Released: December 18 Another online campaign off to a very strong start for this year’s Christmas Number 1 is the NHS Choir, who are hoping to take 'Bridge Over You' - an arrangement of Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water and Coldplay’s Fix You - to Number 1 this year. The song was originally released in 2013 and the choir formed by Gareth Malone as part of the 65th anniversary celebrations of the NHS. In the face of recent budget cuts by the government, junior doctor Harriet Nerva launched a Facebook campaign to raise awareness and get the song to Number 1. With over 162,0000 followers and growing, if all those supporters converted into downloads in race week and streams, then consider this a serious contender for the Christmas top spot. Click here to find out more about the campaign. Song: Echoes Of Merry Christmas Everyone Artist: Shakin’ Stevens Released: November 27 Would you believe it’s been thirty years since Welsh rock ‘n’ roll institution Shakin’ Stevens -‘Shaky’ to his fans – released his definitive yuletide classic, Merry Christmas Everyone? Well, he’s back for round 2 and this time he’s reworked his stomping family favourite into a folky bluegrass number – complete with banjo - called Echoes Of Merry Xmas Everyone, with a portion of the profits going to The Salvation Army, a charity close to Shaky’s heart. Does it stand a chance at winning the coveted spot? Back in 1985, Merry Christmas Everyone did top the charts, but then who can resist those wavy synths? This new version is accompanied by the kind of warm and fuzzy Christmassy spirit which will tug on your heartstrings, but will people buy into the song’s stripped back acoustic feel? Song: Half The World Away Artist: Aurora Released: Out now If you’re one of the three people in the UK who haven’t yet seen the John Lewis ad (probably because you haven’t got a telly or you’ve been living in an internet black hole) then here’s the soundtrack in all its simplistic, Scandi, wintery glory. If the song sounds familiar that’s because it is actually a beautiful, fragile revision of Oasis’ 1994 b-side, Half The World Away, sung by 19-year-old Norwegian Aurora. If the British public gush over the song as much as they did over the ad, then we reckon this could just emerge triumphant as a winner. Or, you may in fact agree with former Oasis manager Alan McGee that it’s just "rubbish." Song: Only You Artist: Kylie Minogue ft. James Corden Released: Out now We’re not quite sure why this happened, but we’re glad it did. Only at Christmas would you find Kylie Minogue giving a twinkly rendition of a Yazoo classic accompanied by TV host James Corden; and while on paper it sounds like joke with a bad punchline, the reality is genuinely a welcome surprise. It’s sweet, touching and evokes a healthy dose of warm Christmas cheer, so why shouldn’t this take the top spot? Song: Christmas Without A Prayer Artist: Sparks Released: December 4 We’ve got an inkling these glam-pop pioneers aren’t too taken with the whole Christmas thing – the last time Sparks released a festive-themed song (in 1974) they called it Thank God It’s Not Christmas and it wasn’t so much of a celebration but more of a lament for The Most Hated Time Of The year. Fast forward 41 years and their anti-populist sentiments haven’t petered out (“no one to buy me things I don’t want / an album by Wings) but they’ve added a good dose of tongue-in-cheek humour to the proceedings. This slow-moving pseudo ballad comes with a shaky, low-budget video which is filmed largely in black and white until it perks up momentarily with a gospel flourish and perky piano refrain; a nice touch, we must say. Everyone loves a laugh at Christmas, but what if the wit is heavily laced with sarcasm? We’re not sure how well the song’s cynical sentiments will go down with out-and-proud Christmas lovers but as gritty kitchen sink realism goes, Sparks have certainly cornered the festive market. This may be one for all the grinches... Song: The Christmas Song Artist: Blake and Shirley Bassey Released: December 18 If a vocal harmony group and a national treasure sounds like the perfect recipe for a festive hit, that’s because it is. This year, Dame Shirley Bassey has recorded a version of The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) with male trio Blake in aid of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, and the results are as warming as a cinnamon spiced hot chocolate with a generous dash of amaretto thrown in. Will it be a truly traditional affair at the top of this year’s Official Christmas Chart? Song: Winter Wonderland Artist: Courteeners Released: November 27 Who would have thought those perennial indie lads, Courteeners, had a softer side? They’ve certainly let it all out for this sincere, soaring attempt at a bona fide Christmas charity single. With all profits from sales donated to Shelter, the song was actually recorded on Norah Jones’ piano in New York, and we can definitely detect a whiff of the old Jones magic in the twinkling of the keys. The track was also performed live for the first time after Liam was invited by the late Lou Reed to perform at a night he had curated in NYC.. This could be a contender for the top spot, because, let’s face it, everyone loves a charity single (especially when all the money goes to charity). What’s particularly worth pointing out here is how the band have managed to veer away from being too schmaltzy. And, love them or hate them, Courteeners know a thing or two about crowd-pleasers... Song: You’re My World Artist: Cilla Black Released: December 18 In memory of her death in August this year, fans have started an online campaign (which has 12.5k backers and growing) to get Our Cilla’s 1964 chart-topper You’re My World to Number 1 this Christmas. The song re-entered the Official Singles Chart at 91 the week after her death, so there’s a chance the momentum behind this song may have petered out, but if there’s one thing we’ve learnt at Official Charts, it’s not to underestimate the British public’s love for a departed star... Song: Christmas In The Air (Tonight) Artist: Scouting For Girls Released: Out now Scouting For Girls paint a traditional-yet-modern picture postcard scene of late–night shopping and mugs of hot chocolate in the snow, and drinking down the local. It’s an acoustic pop song (laced with a classy string section and church bells) all about loving someone at Christmas and loving Christmas. In fact, there’s so much love here, we’re worried our hearts may burst. It may just appeal to all the normal things people like to do at Christmas, like having a pint in the pub, and it may make you want to grab your nearest loved one and take them for a pint. But then, it may make you want to stay in and cry because you’re lonely… Song: Last Christmas Artist: Carly Rae Jepsen Released: Out now Christmas music aficionados will either love or hate CRJ’s take on Wham!’s Christmas-Number-1-that-never-was. It’s about as emotional (and ‘80s) as the original, and the addition of a sax feels very faithful to George Michael, but can she really out-pip the original by sending this all the way to Number 1? Song: I Am Santa Artist: The Darkness Released: Out now What with the shameless display of lycra and those hair metal guitars, this retro-looking entry from The Darkness harks back to the golden age of power ballads. It's their first festive offering in a decade and Justin Hawkins is "hungry for you", but are you hungry for this song? Artist: St Paul's Cathedral Choir Song: Carol of the Bells Released: Out now Whether they choose to admit it or not. everybody loves a bit of good old fashioned choral mastery at Christmas time. This impressive offering by St Paul's Cathedral Choir is a total classic in-the-making - one to turn even the most Scrooge-like of tinsel haters into full-on Christmas jumper wearers. They've even plugged into pop culture; you may indeed recognise the tune from that little-known filmic festive favourite, Home Alone... Amen! By Rob Copsey (@robcopsey) |
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That NHS choir looks interesting
although there is not a track in the world i would not download to beat the xfactor. |
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Wassup aa. A few more links.
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve1sevQpQLQ&feature=youtu.be .http://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/nhs-charity-single-is-aiming-for-the-christmas-number-one-slot-a3107221.html .https://www.facebook.com/events/1708420612728117/ reckon this looks half promising |
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I'd have it in front of star wars, given some publicity. Taken some 33s anyhoo.
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1.3 million people work in the nhs. That's a lot of friends and family
 They just need to get the message out. I do like their fb site tho. |
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not just the number of people who work for the NHS, the number of people who have been treated by the NHS, the number of people who are grateful to the NHS for saving their loved ones, and the number of people who get high on lethal bizzle prescription drugs provided free of charge by the NHS, plus it is the season of goodwill. should be 2.8.
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oh and don't forget the free eye tests that have helped people see the beautiful world in HD
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should be 1.9
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i work for the NHS, why wasn't I invited to be part of the choir
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Of course Tom, everyone is a stakeholder in that organisation. It's actually a decent track of its ilk as well.
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if Tinchy Stryder just did a rap in the middle of it I reckon it would be 1.5
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If you work for the nhs, start getting the message out ;) Have you got an internal sm network? Get them to start playing it om hospital radio, get the djs on board.
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i'm just the toilet cleaner, but i'll see what i can do
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.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34961773
Nice work Tom  Some cash for NHS today I see. |
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Choir member Caroline Smith, a children's community physiotherapist, said: "The NHS is not perfect but it's an amazing service. We are very lucky that we have it.
"Everybody uses it and doctors and nurses will be working on Christmas Day. The song is really special and reflects the jobs NHS staff do. If people buy the single it would be an amazing thank you to know that people appreciate the NHS."  |
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Enlightened a few colleagues about it this week and got at least 2 of them on board for a download
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The NHS Choir song definitely has legs this year imvho. Okay it did very little in 2013 but things seem different to me 'current day' in terms of what people like to see up top when they are eating their Chrimbo Dinner. Not in the same league (in terms of promotion) but Band Aid sold 313,000 in the first week; I am only using this for the charity aspect comparison and appreciate it will not get anywhere near this figure. Ben Haenow shifted a COMBINED total (I think) of 100k less (200k total) yet still grabbed top spot because they sold in the week that contributed to the Christmas Charts.
So lets assume a straight match bet between X-Factor (6/4) and NHS Choir (10/1). I know its not but its useful to compare the 2 prices. Firstly we know X Factor can almost certainly shift a few hundred thousand copies. Does that mean round 1 X Factor?? Not really!! If they stick with the release date of the 13th December (and there is nothing to suggest they wont), this cannibalises sales in the 2nd week which is the week THAT ACTUALLY COUNT towards achieving the Christmas Number one. The NHS song will have (if people do as they are asking) no sales prior to Christmas Week. I am not naive enough either to not appreciate there will be a physical copy of the x factor single at this point, but I am viewing this as sales LOST in the w/c December 13th more than anything. So can NHS Choir actually get anywhere near x factor numbers?? Simple answer is I am not sure, but 170K followers and counting shouldn't be monitored. I think it is the hardest of 'hard knocks' that doesn't look at what the NHS have done for them and how it has affected them personally and considering the time of year does this a little more than usual. The video is real and shows Joe public doing their job and really commands attention. I would like to see two things though as a greedy backer :) 1) Cowell is happy to have his act have a week at the top so therefore gets behind (or at least acknowledges) the NHS Campaign. Everybody wins this way. He (indirectly) tells the large audience on x factor night to go and buy the winners single but do so "this week"; the week before. He mentions the cause and becomes even more of a legend in his own mind. He may also realise they are a threat anyway and feel that by doing this he is protecting the credibility of his act by actively encouraging the knock off the top spot. 2) The RATM Facebook band wagon get behind the NHS. They did such a good job in posting links, places you could register for free downloads and orchestrating exactly when a 'push' was needed/exactly the amount each person could buy, that having these guys behind this would be amazing. Once all my bets are on I may even just message them through Facebook :). They are still around and still love opposition to x factor/ What would I not like to see as a greedy backer?? Simple, they move the x factor release date to Christmas week. A certain amount of momentum may be lost by not following the final but not enough to not see this easily over the line. I love this market and regularly receive sales updates so anything of any use will be posted onto here. |
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Good to see you on the forum Chepster, hope all is well.
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wot squares says
Not had a bet on xmas #1 , but tempted to have a tickle on the NHS Choir |
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Great to hear you're on board chep
I'm reckoning on circa 100k enough to take it this year. |
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But it was recently spotted by a junior doctor in Cambridgeshire, Harriet Nerva, who was so moved by the video that she decided to launch a social media campaign to promote the song and the reasons for supporting NHS.
‘The song sums up everything about working in the NHS, it’s about raising the profile of the NHS at such a time of change,’ said Ms Smith. NHS staff are being urged to back the campaign by promoting the song, and, of course, by buying it through iTunes or Amazon. ‘But everyone is requested not to download the song until the week before Christmas to give it the best chance of becoming the Christmas number one,’ added Ms Smith. Proceeds from the 99p single will go to Mind and Carers UK, as well as local charities. See the campaign's Twitter account at @NHS4XmasNo1. |
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Hi chep ...great post.
I like to slate Coldplay as much as the next guy,the drummer being one of the smuggest individuals ever to walk this god's great earth.. but no matter how you dress it up, "Fix You" is one almighty tune. Even in the context of this song it towers all over BOTW . There you go ..i said it   |
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I like it when the lyrics and backing music for both tracks intertwine towards the end. It's epic and it makes me fist pump.
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Afternoon fellas,
Great to see you guys all still frequent the forum; clearly shows you are still making these markets pay :). Cider - I agree, around the 100k mark should get you close to second week x factor sales. I am a little disappointed with how the numbers joining the campaign seem to have stalled though. In the last two days the Facebook page has only gained around 1k likes. That said, I would much prefer the momentum to be late in the day and they have seem to be addressing this by offering me and you (but more importantly . . . . CELEBS!!) a chance to be in the music video. http://www.loveyournhs.co.uk/ Hopefully people get on board :) |
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I'll tweet jezza
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Are you having trouble loading markets fig?
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I had trouble loading the whole site and logging in. Seems ok now. The forum is running very slow for me tho
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Betfair Helpdesk @BetfairHelpdesk 50m50 minutes ago
We're aware that some Virgin Media customer are currently struggling to access the site. Please sit tight while we investigate the issue. mines all over the fecking place, good job i have a dog to walk or i'd be seething |
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Virgin are sh1te. I'm not sure why I stick with them. The internet is very slow at times and the wifi only works well if you're within about 10M of the box
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My wifi isn't too bad, but I do have a big dongle
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Surely the most likely Xmas No 1 will be the X factor winner.. its been confirmed that all sales from the winners single going to charities to help sick children
11/8 still available |
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The risk with XF is that the peak of sales won't count toward the #1. I feel it will depend upon the quality of the track, it will need crossover appeal to make the two weeks.
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It's been the same charity for the last 3 years bardo
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The X Factor 2015 winner’s single will NOT directly compete for Christmas Number One
THIS year’s X Factor final is happening a week too early for the show’s winner to make a proper bid for Christmas Number One. This is a result of a change in chart rules earlier this year, which saw the sales tracking week switch to Friday-Thursday, whereas it used to be Sunday-Saturday. The X Factor winner’s single will be released as soon as the result is announced next Sunday, December 13, so it will effectively miss the first two full days of the chart week and have until end-of-play on Thursday, December 17, to catch up and take the lead. Its position will then be announced the next day, Friday December 18. That won't, however, be the actual Christmas chart: this year’s festive Number One will be announced the following Friday - which co-incidentally is Christmas Day itself - taking into account sales from Saturday 19 to Thursday 24 December. By that point, the X Factor winner’s single will be in its second week of release and - although it could maintain enough momentum to be No1 for a fortnight - its sales will inevitably head downhill rather quickly. Little Mix lost Christmas No1 in 2011 because their coronation hit was released the previous week This has happened twice before since The X Factor started: in 2011, Little Mix’s Cannonball was released one week before the Christmas chart, leaving the goal wide open for the Military Wives’ Wherever You Are to take the top spot instead. In 2012, James Arthur’s Impossible also missed the Christmas chart by being released one week too early, and instead The Justice Collective’s He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother was No1. In years where the X Factor champ has properly made a bid for the Christmas top spot, they have only lost twice: in 2004 Steve Brookstein finished behind Band Aid 20’s Do They Know It’s Christmas, and in 2009 a campaign to put Rage Against The Machine at the summit was bad news for Joe McElderry. Competitors for the iconic chart this year include the Star Wars Theme, which has a lot of support behind it thanks to a Facebook group. The Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir have also got a lot of backing from the public, while Kylie Minogue is a dark horse with a song remixed by Stock, Aitken and Waterman. This year’s X Factor champ is expected to be Louisa Johnson, who has been the bookmakers’ favourite to win since her very first audition aired. The winner’s single was previously reported to be Forever Young, although it is not known if this is the Bob Marley track, or the Alphaville song of the same name that was previously lined-up for One Direction to release if they had won the show in 2010. |
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when is the xmas no. 1 announced this year... anybody know the exact date
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Cheers Cider...
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That article is slightly wrong. Sales from Friday 18th will count towards the Xmas chart.
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