X Factor killed the Christmas Number One — but there’s still hope-Danni Scott-Entertainment – Metro

A decade of X Factor finalists slowly suffocated the Christmas Number One (Picture: Ken McKay/REX/Shutterstock)

Does anyone still care about the Christmas Number One? Be honest. Does it matter to you who is at the top of the charts on December 25?

Long gone are the epic battles of Slade vs Wizzard, Wham! Vs Band Aid, or even East 17 vs Mariah Carey (with the former shockingly winning).

Official Charts formed in the 50s but Christmas Number Ones really kicked off in 1973 when Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody triumphed on Christmas Day.

In the decades that followed, other artists solidified this festive tradition with their own Christmas songs which have since become classics (even Mr Blobby).

However, I’d argue that the British public has largely stopped caring about this iconic and unique marker of the festive period – and it’s time to hold the culprit accountable.

The X Factor killed off the Christmas Number One — and it was a slow, painful death.

Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody is considered the first true Christmas Number One (Picture: Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns)

The X Factor winner’s single became synonymous with the festive charts (Picture: Ken McKay/REX/Shutterstock)

It’s easy to blame streaming, putting this Christmas apathy on the dwindling popularity of radio and the disappearance of Top of the Pops as we stick to our own carefully curated music bubbles.

But responsibility for the sheer indifference this country feels towards a once-beloved tradition also falls at the feet of ITV’s most popular show.

The singing competition dominated — and suffocated — the Christmas charts from 2005 until 2014, with seven winners’ singles debuting in the coveted slot.

First to land the competitive chart position was Shayne Ward’s That’s My Goal, which was an admirable effort considering the competition was a charity re-release of Fairytale of New York and a bizarre song about JCBs.

The X Factor to number one pipeline was undeniably lucrative; the next year Leona Lewis’ A Moment Like This broke the world record for most downloads in the first 30 minutes after release and secured the title of second best-selling single of 2006.

Shayne Ward was the first to succeed with the Christmas campaign (Picture: Ken McKay/REX/Shutterstock)

Nobody would have minded these chart toppers if they hadn’t been part of a mind-numbing run of winner’s singles effortlessly claiming the crown.

This isn’t to say the likes of Alexandra Burke or Sam Bailey weren’t deserving of their number ones, it just felt incredibly predictable and squashed any healthy competition.

Instead of a talented singer battling it out for a deserved number one, our Christmas tradition was reduced to nothing more than X Factor’s victory lap.

My bubbling frustration was mirrored by thousands around the country, culminating in the unforgettable Rage Against the Machine campaign in 2009.

That year, the X Factor’s ‘unearned’ top spot was defeated (sorry to Joe McElderry) but it took a huge effort and massive public debate — for the first time in years, the Christmas chart felt exciting.

Rage Against The Machine donated their proceeds to Shelter after beating Joe McElderry (Picture: Andy Sheppard/Redferns)

The American rockers could only keep the X Factor at bay for a year (Picture: Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/REX/Shutterstock)

However, that brief reprieve only lasted a year and Matt Cardle stormed back to the top of the charts, uncontested. By 2014, even the most dedicated music fan was feeling jaded and uninterested by the X Factor oversaturation.

X Factor covers, non-festive pop tunes, and various charity choirs continued to take the top spot for a handful of uninspiring years.

Then came Ladbaby.

Admittedly, my distaste for these sausage roll abominations is personal. I worked in retail when that first track hit the charts and the less said about their version of We Built This City the better; even if it was for charity.

Their five-year, record-breaking run baffles me to this day and I can only put it down to a mix of people wanting to support fundraising and a sheer lack of interest in the Christmas charts.

LadBaby hold the record for most Christmas number ones – five in a row
(Picture: OfficialCharts.com/Shutterstock)

After years of X Factor-induced indifference and a lack of new festive challengers, the path to Christmas Number One was clear for these deeply irritating covers.

Then, finally, the internet personality couple stepped out of the race in 2023 and for the first time in years, there was a glimmer of hope.

Last year, suddenly, the floodgates opened and a passionate battle between Sam Ryder — with a new actual Christmas song — and Wham! reignited interest.

Artists were once again making new festive tracks, not only that they were making good new festive tracks; a trend which has continued this year.

Tom Grennan, Perrie Edwards, Laufey, and Calum Scott with Christina Perri; that 80s energy is back in the charts and I for one am thrilled to see this Christmas tradition is not dead.

This year people were invested, watching Wham, Mariah and Tom battle it out for the top spot and voicing their opinions (loudly) as things were made official.

Wham! have done it again, making history by securing the Christmas number one spot two years in a row with Last Christmas (Picture: Michael Putland/Getty Images)

Wham! now holds the record for the first and only song ever to be named Christmas Number One twice in a row, and it joins Queen with Bohemian Rhapsody as the only songs to have ever secured the title twice.

I’m personally thrilled to see this beloved song secure a deserved accolade on its 40th birthday; this is what the Christmas charts are all about. It’s personal, it feels earned or at least that there’s a reason behind it.

While a new song claiming the title would have been fabulous, Wham! proved that we’re feeling festive once more and maybe next year an artist will give us an undeniable new Christmas classic.

A decade after the X Factor’s final blow to the Christmas Number One, we are finally ready to care again.

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