Stars take aim at ultimate prize with Ed & Elton favourites for Christmas Number One

The race to secure the coveted Christmas Number One spot is now in full flow!

Now one of the great festive traditions, it began with Al Martino and his ballad Here In My Heart. The Beatles secured four throughout the sixties, while Sir Paul McCartney regained his crown with Wings’ Mull Of Kintyre in 1977 – bookmaker William Hill taking the first ever bets on the festive chart-topper.

Claiming the festive top spot is an institution. From the Spice Girls and Whitney Houston, to Mr Blobby and LadBaby, from music icons, cartoon characters and punk rockers, to TV talent show winners, and all-star charity records; what will play out between now and the all-important announcement at 17:45 on Friday December 24, will be the most unpredictable chart race of the year.

Seven decades after the very first Christmas Number one, the battle for the 70th Christmas Number One rages as fiercely as ever. Here, bookmaker William Hill takes a look at this year’s runners and riders…

Ed Sheeran and Sir Elton John – 4-5 – Chart superstar Ed Sheeran has teamed up with friend, mentor and all-round music icon Sir Elton John, to create three new Christmas songs, the first of which is called Merry Christmas. The pair’s charity video parodies a number of other famous festive hits, while a whole host of celebrities have been persuaded to make guest appearances.

LadBaby – Evens – The sausage roll loving YouTuber from Nottingham, real name Mark Boyle, equalled a record set by The Beatles and the Spice Girls in clinching a third successive Christmas Number One last year, with Don’t Stop Believin’. Rumours about a record-breaking fourth festive hit continue to gather momentum.

Have A Word Pod – 8-1 – UK comedic duo Adam Rowe and Dan Nightingale have fast been gathering popularity with their podcast Have A Word Pod and are now launching their bid with new single – Laura’s Gone. The song takes its title from a running gag on the show, in which Rowe, Nightingale and a pantheon of comedian guests suggest how they’d react to the listeners’ relationship dilemmas.

Adele – 14-1 – After the rip-roaring success of her fourth studio album, 30, and an emotional An Audience With, powerhouse songstress Adele currently has three songs on track for a number one spot – but will she be at the top of the good list for this year’s Christmas Number One? Her comeback single Easy On Me has fended off several challenges to sit top of the pile for the past six weeks – it could cling on.

The Lathums – 20-1 – Rising Indie band from Wigan, The Lathums, had chart success with the release of their debut album How Beautiful Life Can Be earlier this year. As their credentials continue to rise and more gigs are booked, can the four-piece band keep up the momentum and get their anti-festive tune Krampus to the top of the tree?

Abba – 25-1 – Comeback supergroup ABBA have entered the race for the first time this year with their single Little Things, which reflects the joy of Christmas morning. To the surprise of many, ‘track three’ is the Swedish group’s first ever festive song, as they have never officially recorded a Christmas song before.

Mariah Carey – 33-1 – A perennial presence in the Christmas chart shake-up, and reached number one for the first time last year. However, her brief stay at the top of the tree was ended by LadBaby. The Christmas Queen is pretty much guaranteed a top five spot.

St Martin’s Voices – 33-1 – St Martin’s Voices has announced its first foray into the music charts, and its first ever Christmas single, with the Rebecca Dale composed version of the carol, In The Bleak Midwinter. The track is sung by the ensemble at London church, St Martin-in-the-Fields, a group of professional singers who perform at concerts, services and broadcasts from the Trafalgar Square Church.

Best Of The Rest – Then there is the first ever Children In Need Christmas single, courtesy of presenter Andy Day, and his band the Odd Socks, at 100-1, Gypsy Pistoleros’ cover of Livin’ La Vida Loca at 50-1, while Gary Barlow leans on Sheridan Smith in his bid to banish nineties nightmares of Mr Blobby pipping Take That to number one, with How Christmas Is Supposed To Be, also 50-1.

To Land The 70th Christmas Number One

Elton John & Ed Sheeran – 4-5

LadBaby – Evens

Have A Word Pod – 8-1

Adele – 14-1

The Lathums – 20-1

Abba – 25-1

St Martin’s Voices – 33-1

Mariah Carey – 33-1

Crazy Frog – 50-1

The Wanted – 50-1

Leona Lewis – 50-1

Elton John & Dua Lipa – 50-1

Coldplay – 50-1

Taylor Swift – 50-1

Jesy Nelson – 50-1

Wham! – 50-1

Dua Lipa – 50-1

Collabro – 50-1

Cliff Richard – 50-1

Gypsy Pistoleros – 50-1

Shakin’ Stevens – 50-1

Bille Eilish – 50-1

Gary Barlow & Sheridan Smith – 50-1

Darlene Love (M&S Advert) – 50-1

Santa Ste and Elf David McGovern – 50-1

Westlife – 66-1

Lola Young – 66-1

Justin Bieber – 66-1

Megan McKenna – 66-1

Elton John – 66-1

Michael Buble – 66-1

Sam Fender – 66-1

Craig Revel Horwood & Rietta – 66-1

Ariana Grande – 80-1

Gary Barlow – 100-1

Liam Gallagher – 100-1

Andy and The Odd Socks – 100-1

Tom Grennan – 150-1