The race for the 2023 Christmas Number One continues, with Wham! taking the lead for the top spot in the charts.
The news follows a neck-and-neck race between iconic 80s pop duo Wham! And Eurovision star Sam Ryder last week with their respective songs 'Last Christmas' [1986] and “You're Christmas To Me” [2023].
At the first look at the race last week, just 42 chart units stood between the two topping the UK charts, however, this week it was revealed by Official charts that Wham! are in pole position and have widened the gap between Ryder's Amazon Music original – which remains at Number Two.
However, it doesn't look likely that the charts will stay that way until Christmas, with Ryder set to play a fan-only gig tonight (December 19) in London's Shoreditch in a bid to promote the song in time for Boxing Day Christmas. .
Likewise, today (December 19) the Pogues are sharing a special, limited-edition physical run of their own iconic Christmas song 'Fairytale Of New York' in a push to climb the charts.
Originally released in 1988 and featuring Kirsty MacColl, the track is being re-released in memory of the band's late lead singer Shane MacGowan, who died “peacefully” in hospital from pneumonia on November 30. He was 65 and his funeral took place in Nenagh. County Tipperary on 8th December.
All proceeds from the reissue will go to Irish charity Dublin Simon Community, and the release also arrived alongside a fan campaign to get Fairytale of New York to Christmas Number 1 for the first time.
The chart-topping push has also been backed by Shane MacGowan's widow, Victoria Mary Clarke. Currently, “Fairytale Of New York” is placed at Number Five.
The rest of the Christmas charts see Mariah Carey at Number Three with her holiday classic 'All I Want For Christmas Is You', originally released in 1994, and Ed Sheeran and Elton John's collaborative hit 'Merry Christmas' , which arrived in 2021, was placed at Number Six.
The Official Christmas Number One Race started on Friday (December 15) and the final cutoff for sales and streams to be counted is midnight on Thursday (December 21). The final charts for Christmas 2023 will be announced on The Official Chart on BBC Radio 1 this Friday (December 22) from 4pm.
For the past five years, it's been British duo LadBaby who have consistently topped the Christmas charts with their comedic twists on hit songs.
They previously topped the charts in 2018 with “We Built This City”, 2019 with “I Love Sausage Rolls”, 2020 with “Don't Stop Me Eatin” and 2021 with Ed Sheeran and Elton John . “Sausage Rolls for Everyone.” Earlier this year, they announced they would be calling it quits for 2023.
