Christmas Number One 2023: Bookies favourites & latest betting odds

The Pogues could face competition for their first Christmas No.1 from a group of TikTokers. The Fairytale of New York is still the favourite to top the festive chart according to bookies after the death of Shane MacGowan after a series of health issues in recent years.

LadBaby pulled out of the race earlier in 2023. They had previously claimed five Christmas Number One in a row, but announced in November that they were pulling out of the race in 2023 - instead encouraging other charity singles to have a crack at the crown.

The Pogues initially saw a surge in backers following a health update from Shane MacGowan's wife - despite ongoing controversies about the lyrics. Following his death the odds have only shortened and they are now the firm favourites.

But Creators Universe - a group of TikTokers - could throw the race wide open. The group - who have covered Wizzard's I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - have shot up to second in the betting markets as of December 7.

The UK's pre-Christmas chart will be topped by a different artist for the first time since 2018, when LadBaby claimed their first No.1 with a cover of We Built This City. The social media duo's parody tracks, which insert the words sausage roll into popular songs, have raised money for charities such as The Trussell Trust over the last five years.

MoneySavingExpert Martin Lewis teamed up with LadBaby for the 2022 effort - Food Aid, a play of Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas - following Ed Sheeran and Elton John's lead from the year prior. The Christmas Number One for 2023 will not be announced until Friday, December 22, just day's before the big day.

The Official Charts also expect that Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You and Wham's Last Christmas could also be in the mix. But what do the bookies say? Here's the latest odds as of November 21, 2023:

Christmas Number One favourites

The Pogues have become the early favourites to top the Christmas charts at William Hill and Sky Bet as of Tuesday, November 21. LadBaby are still backed by other bookies but expect their odds to slide massively after announcing they will not release a track in 2023.

Wham! could prove to be competition and also Sidemen, according to the latest odds.

Other contenders include the likes of Ed Sheeran, Adele and Sam Ryder. Artists have yet to announce bids for the festive number one - and so the picture will become clearer in the coming weeks.

Christmas Number One latest betting odds

Despite it being more than a month before the Christmas Number One is set to be announced by BBC Radio 1 on Friday, December 22, the bookies have already issued odds.

LadBaby had been the runaway favourites early doors but have since been surpassed by Fairytale of New York. Lee Phelps, William Hill spokesperson, said: “With Shane MacGowan’s wife publicly sharing news of her husband’s health on Tuesday evening, we’ve seen a lot of support for The Pogues to claim this year’s Christmas Number One with their iconic festive hit, Fairytale of New York.

“The band were a 18/1 shot with us to top the charts at the start of the week but are now our even-money favourites to achieve their first ever Christmas number one.”

Sky Bet

The latest odds from Sky Bet's website as of Thursday, December 7:

• The Pogues - 6/4
• Creators Universe - 13/8
• Wham! - 9/2
• Mariah Carey - 11/1
• Taylor Swift - 11/1
• JLS - 14/1
• Sam Ryder - 14/1
• Slade - 14/1
• The Beatles - 141

The Sky Bet page has seen a significant shift in odds following the death of Shane MacGowan - and LadBaby's decision to pull out of the race.

William Hill

William Hill is offering the following odds on Christmas Number One as of Thursday, 30 November, following the death of Shane MacGowan:

• The Pogues - 4/6
• Creators Universe - 13/8
• Wham! - 7/2
• Mariah Carey - 20/1
• Cher - 25/1
• Sidemen - 25/1
• Taylor Swift - 25/1

How many Christmas Number One's do LadBaby have?

The social media stars - real names Mark and Roxanne Hoyle - have scooped five Christmas Number Ones. They have topped the chart each year from 2018 to 2022. LadBaby broke The Beatles record for most consecutive Christmas Number Ones last year.

LadBaby will not release a Christmas song in 2023. But have not ruled out returning in future years.