The race to become the UK’s Christmas Number One will come to a climax today, and it now looks highly likely that Wham! will secure the prized position for the second year running, with their perennial favourite, Last Christmas. Despite many taking part in Whamageddon – a challenge to see how long you can go through December without hearing the song – it’s evident that the song which was first released in 1984 remains on many Christmas playlists.
It had been expected that Band Aid would be the UK’s number one at Christmas, when plans were announced for an updated version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? to mark the 40th anniversary of the original song’s release. Indeed, Band Aid was the odds on favourite back in mid-November, but they sit outside the top 10 following the release of the midweek chart on Monday evening.
Rather than Band Aid, it’s actually Tom Grennan who has worked his way up the Christmas chart to the number two spot, with the 29-year-old even getting a tattoo to show he’s up for the fight.
But it’s the duo of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley that head the latest betting odds, and currently sit top of the UK singles chart, with the eventual winner set to be announced on Friday 20th December around 6pm.
UK Christmas Number One Odds 2024
The Christmas No 1 betting odds for 2024 shows a healthy mix of the old and new. Classics like Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You are vying for the top slot against Tom Grennan’s new single It Can’t Be Christmas, as well as Gracie Abrams who has finally slipped down from number one after five weeks at the summit.
Below, you’ll find all the leading contenders to be announced as Christmas Number One. Most of our recommended UK betting sites cover the market, so there’s plenty of options when you’re looking for the latest odds.
| Artist and Song | Odds | Probability |
| Wham! – Last Christmas | 1/10 | 90.9% |
| Tom Grennan – It Can’t Be Christmas | 20/1 | 4.8% |
| Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You | 20/1 | 4.8% |
| Gracie Abrams – That’s So True | 50/1 | 2% |
- Power Prices, Wonder Wheel & Acca Insurance among a range of top offers
- Innovative Super Sub offer means bets roll over to the player coming on
Who is Tom Grennan?
To those not up to speed with the current charts, Tom Grennan may not be a familiar name, but the 29 year old from Bedford has been on the scene for almost a decade now.
A nominee for the BBC’s Sound of 2017, they were right to bring Grennan to the attention of the wider audience. His debut album reached number 5 back in 2018, and the award nominations and acclaim have kept on coming. Both his follow up albums reached the number one position, before 2023 saw Grennan win Best UK Act at the MTV EMA’s.
Grennan is yet to achieve a UK Number One in the singles chart, but he’s certainly up for the battle, recently posting footage of a new tattoo on his right thigh, with the words “Christmas no.1 2024 is…”.
As things stand, the publicity stunt could come back to haunt him though, with odds of 20/1 implying he has less than a 5% chance of getting the better of Wham!
Who is top of the UK singles chart now?
With only days to go till we find out the 2024 Christmas Number One single, the latest chart has taken on a very Christmassy feel already. Here is the UK’s top 10, according to the midweek chart on 16th December 2024.
1. Wham – Last Christmas
2. Tom Grennan – It Can’t Be Christmas
3. Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You
4. Gracie Abrams – That’s So True
5. Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
6. Rose and Bruno Mars – APT
7. Bobby Helms – Jingle Bell Rock
8. Pogues ft Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale of New York
9. Kelly Clarkson – Underneath The Tree
10. Ariana Grande – Santa Tell Me
Previous Christmas No 1 songs
Since the turn of the century, the top of the charts have been dominated by the winners of reality TV show X-Factor, or songs desperately trying to derail the Simon Cowell train, including Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name.
The end of X-Factor and a change to the way the charts are calculated saw a clear change at the head of the charts. Nowadays, streaming data is combined with physical sales figures, so you’re more likely to see songs from years gone by at or around the top of the UK singles chart.
| Year | Artist | Song |
| 2023 | Wham! | Last Christmas |
| 2022 | LadBaby | Food Aid |
| 2021 | LadBaby | Sausage Rolls for Everyone |
| 2020 | LadBaby | Don’t Stop Me Eatin’ |
| 2019 | LadBaby | I Love Sausage Rolls |
| 2018 | LadBaby | We Built This City |
| 2017 | Ed Sheeran | Perfect |
| 2016 | Clean Bandit | Rockabye |
| 2015 | Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir | A Bridge Over You |
| 2014 | Ben Haenow | Something I Need |
