Position of Christmas number one in the previous week’s chart
1
It’ll probably be a new entry
1952 - 1995
1995 - 2018
Overall
2
New release
Outside top 40
Rest of top 40
37
5
42
7
0
7
0
17
17
0
0
0
0
1
1
Since the Spice Girls became the first artist to go straight in at number 1 in 1996, almost three quarters of Christmas number ones have been new entries
No song has ever risen to Christmas number one after being below 2nd place in the top 40 the previous week
Success will probably be fleeting
Sport type
While around 4 in 5 (79%) of Christmas number ones held on to top spot the following week, half of the songs which dropped immediately down the charts have been in the last decade
Year
Next chart position
2
2
2
2
5
3
2
2
4
5
2
2
29
21
1960
1961
1968
1978
1988
1990
1998
2009
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2018
Chart pedigree is becoming less important
Christmas
number
one
this year?
Which song will be
It’s more likely to be a male act
Sport type
The Spice Girls’ first Christmas number one was the first by an all-female group and the first without a credited
male artist in 42 years
There was a gap of over 50 years between the first two festive chart-toppers by a female solo artist (from Winnie Atwell in 1954 to Leona Lewis in 2006)
Mixed group
Male solo
29
17
4
4
13
Male group
Female solo
Female group
Gender balance of Christmas chart-topping artists
Christmas number ones by decade
6
1
0
0
1
5
5
0
0
0
4
4
2
0
0
3
2
5
0
0
4
3
0
3
0
3
2
2
1
2
4
0
4
0
1
Male solo
Male group
Mixed group
Female group
Female solo
Elvis Presley
Frankie Vaughan
The Scaffold
Boney M
Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Spice Girls
Rage Against The Machine
Military Wives / Gareth Malone
Justice Collective
Sam Bailey
Ben Haenow
Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir
Ladbaby
It's Now Or Never
Tower Of Strength
Lily The Pink
Mary's Boy Child
Mistletoe And Wine
Saviour's Day
Goodbye
Killing In The Name
Wherever You Are
He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother
Skyscraper
Something I Need
A Bridge Over You
We Built This City
What is the most successful Christmas song ever?
Since downloads were incorporated into the charts in 2005, there are 10 songs which have appeared in more than two Christmas Day charts
Fairytale of New York emerges as the ultimate Christmas song, having made the top 20 in all 14 years in which downloads have contributed
Years
14
12
10
9
7
6
5
5
3
3
Fairytale Of New York
All I Want For Christmas Is You
Last Christmas
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
Driving Home For Christmas
Merry Xmas Everybody
Merry Christmas Everyone
Do They Know It's Christmas
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
One More Sleep
Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl
Mariah Carey
Wham!
Wizzard
Chris Rea
Slade
Shakin' Stevens
Band Aid
Michael Buble
Leona Lewis
x65
Where does Lewis Hamilton rank among the greats?
Hamilton is one of only five sportspeople to have finished in the top three at least four times.
Who could win the award this year?
Ranking the nominees based on the characteristics of previous winners.
Andy Murray
Lewis Hamilton
Steve Davis
Ian Botham
Sebastian Coe
Individual sport
Achievement in 2nd half of year
Male nominees win more often
F1 champion
From the East of England
1st
Pros
Cons
Lewis Hamilton
Born in London
Athlete
Individual sport
Achievement in 2nd half of year
Female nominees rarely win
2nd
Pros
Cons
Dina Asher-Smith
Achievement in 2nd half of year
Male nominees win more often
Team sport
4th
Pros
Cons
Ben Stokes
Athlete
Individual sport
Achievement in 2nd half of year
Female nominees rarely win
3rd
Pros
Cons
Katarina Johnson-Thompson
Athlete
Male nominees win more often
Team sport
6th
Pros
Cons
Alun Wyn Jones
Achievement in first half of the year
Male nominees win more often
Born overseas but grew up in London
Team sport
Achievement in first half of the year
5th
Pros
Cons
Raheem Sterling
3
1
1
1
1
1st
0
3
2
2
2
2nd
1
0
2
1
1
3rd
4
4
5
4
4
Total top 3
If you want a
long-lasting Christmas hit, you don’t actually want to reach number one
None of the five best-performing tracks have ever reached top spot:
Song
Highest position
2
2
2
4
11
1
1
1
7
3
Fairytale Of New York
All I Want For Christmas Is You
Last Christmas
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
Driving Home For Christmas
Merry Xmas Everybody
Merry Christmas Everyone
Do They Know It's Christmas
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
One More Sleep
Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl
Mariah Carey
Wham!
Wizzard
Chris Rea
Slade
Shakin' Stevens
Band Aid
Michael Buble
Leona Lewis
Prior to 1996, just under half of acts who scored a Christmas number one had topped the charts previously and over three quarters had gotten a song into the top 40 ....
… but only around a third of the 23 since then have managed either.
Previous songs which charted at...
Number one
Elsewhere in the top 40
Number one
Elsewhere in the top 40
47.7% (21/44)
77.3% (34/44)
30.4% (7/23)
34.8% (8/23)
Since 1996, over half of artists who reached number one at Christmas have gone on to top the charts again …
A Christmas number one is no guarantee of future success
… but almost a third have never made it back into the top 40.
Future songs which charted at...
Number one
Elsewhere in the top 40
Number one
Elsewhere in the top 40
38.6% (12/23)
90.9% (40/44)
52.2% (7/23)
69.6% (16/23)
1952 to
1995
1996 to 2018
1952 to
1995
1996 to 2018
D Double E
Tones and I
LadBaby
Lyra Cole
Robbie Williams
Stormzy
Wham
Lewis Capaldi
Mariah Carey
Male solo
Never had a top 40 hit
(Not in current top 40)
This year’s contenders
Pros
Cons
#1 in current chart
First ever top 40 hit
Female solo
Male solo
Not in current top 40
Already had a #1
Never had a top 40 hit
(Not in current top 40)
Female solo
Male solo
Not in current top 40
Already had a #1
Male solo
#2 in current chart
Already had a #1
Male group
#7 in current chart
Already had a #1
Male solo
Never had a top 40 hit
(Not in current top 40)
#4 in current chart
Already had a #1
#6 in current chart
Female solo
Already had a #1
50s
60s
70s
80s
90s
00s
10s