X Factor killed the Christmas number one – but there’s still hope

Does anyone still care about Christmas number one? Be honest. Does it matter to you who will be at the top of the leaderboard on December 25?

Slade’s epic battles against Wizzard are long gone, Wham! Against Band Aid, or even East 17 against Mariah Carey (with the former shockingly winning).

The official charts were formed in the 1950s, but Christmas number ones really began 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 carols that have since become classics (even Mr Blobby).

However, I would argue that the British public have largely stopped caring about this iconic and unique marker of the festive period – and it is time to hold the culprit to account.

The X Factor killed the Christmas number one – and it was a slow, painful death.

It’s easy to blame streaming, attributing this Christmas apathy to the waning popularity of radio and the demise of Top of the Pops as we stick to our own carefully curated musical bubbles.

But the blame for the sheer indifference this country feels towards a once-beloved tradition also lies with ITV’s most popular show.

The singing competition dominated – and smothered – the Christmas charts from 2005 to 2014, with seven winning 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 contest was a charity reissue of Fairytale of New York and a bizarre song about JCBs.

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

Nobody would have bothered these chart toppers if they hadn’t been part of a mind-boggling string of winning singles effortlessly claiming the crown.

That’s not to say that players like Alexandra Burke or Sam Bailey didn’t deserve their number one, it just seemed incredibly predictable and crushed any healthy competition.

Instead of a talented singer fighting for a deserved number one, our Christmas tradition has been reduced to nothing more than the X Factor victory lap.

My seething frustration was reflected in thousands of people across the country, culminating in the unforgettable Rage Against the Machine campaign in 2009.

That year saw the X Factor’s “undeserved” top spot defeated (sorry to Joe McElderry), but it took a huge effort and massive public debate – for the first time in years, the Christmas rankings was exciting.

However, this brief respite only lasted a year and Matt Cardle returned to the top of the charts, uncontested. By 2014, even the most dedicated music fans felt jaded and uninterested in the oversaturation of The X Factor.

X Factor covers, non-party pop tunes and various charity choirs continued to occupy the top spot for a few uninspiring years.

Then came Ladbaby.

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

Their five year record run still baffles me to this day and I can only put it down to a mix of people wanting to support the fundraiser and a simple lack of interest in the Christmas charts.

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 withdrew from 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 heated battle between Sam Ryder – with a new real Christmas song – and Wham! revived interest.

Artists were once again creating new festive tracks, not only were they creating GOOD new festive songs; a trend that has continued this year.

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

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

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

I’m personally thrilled to see this beloved song get some deserved recognition on its 40th anniversary; That’s what Christmas grids are for. It’s personal, it feels earned, or at least there’s a reason behind it.

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

A decade after The X Factor’s final blow to the Christmas number one, we’re finally ready to care again.

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