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Every Official Christmas Number 1 ever!
Look back at every Christmas chart-topper of the last 70 years.
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All Number 1s are special, but scoring the Official Christmas Number 1 is the ultimate prize.
The festive top spot is a British institution and is often the most unpredictable chart race of the year. Previous Christmas Number 1s have been claimed by music icons, cartoon characters, punk-rock disruptors, TV talent show winners, and all-star charity records.
In 2023, WHAM! finally secured the Official Christmas Number 1 with Last Christmas - 39 years after its release. See our exclusive full interview with Andrew Ridgeley here.
Just a year later, WHAM! won the Christmas Number 1 2024 and make Official Chart history as Last Christmas became the first song ever to land the Christmas Number 1 in two consecutive years.
But for now, let's look back at every Official Christmas Number 1 single in the UK.
The UK Christmas Number 1 - a brief history
There's not many chart records that The Beatles, they're the British act with the most Number 1 singles for one, and at one point they held the record for the act with the most Christmas Number 1s – four in total. Their first three (I Want To Hold Your Hand, I Feel Fine, and Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out) topped the Official Singles Chart consecutively from 1963–1965. Hello, Goodbye was their fourth festive chart topper in 1967.
However, in 2021 the record became shared when online entertainers LadBaby (aka Mark and Roxanne Hoyle) became the first act in UK chart history to score four consecutive UK Christmas Number 1s with We Built This City (2018), I Love Sausage Rolls (2019), Don't Stop Me Eatin' (2020) and Sausage Rolls For Everyone with Ed Sheeran Elton John (2021). In 2022, with the release of Food Aid, they took it a step further and became the first ever act to earn five Christmas Number 1s.
LadBaby with their record-breaking four consecutive Official Christmas Number 1 single awards (Credit: Official Charts Company).
Spice Girls notched up three consecutive Christmas Number 1s: 2 Become 1, Too Much, and Goodbye all reigned the festive rundown from 1996–1998.
Seven Christmas Number 1s feature the word ‘Christmas’ in the title, if you include Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody from 1973. And as Christmas is the season of goodwill, why not, eh? In 69 years of Christmas chart-toppers, 12 are genuine Christmas songs, eight are by TV talent show winners, three are by choirs and five could be classed as novelty singles.
Versions of charity smash Do They Know It’s Christmas? have topped the festive Top 40 three times: for Band Aid in 1984, Band Aid II in 1989, and finally for Band Aid 20 in 2004. The first version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? is the best-selling Christmas Number 1 of all time, with over 3.8 million copies sold.
Mary’s Boy Child has been a Christmas Number 1 twice for totally different artists. Harry Belafonte topped the charts with it in 1957 and Boney M took a one-horse open sleigh all the way to Number 1 with it (mashed up with Oh My Lord) in 1978.
The first song to get the Christmas Number 1 twice by the same artist is Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. It first topped the Christmas charts in 1975 and pulled it off again 16 years later, following the death of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. As a result, it is one of the longest-reigning Number 1 hits of all-time. In 2024, Last Christmas became the second song to be taken to the festive top spot twice by the same artist, it was a unique achievement for WHAM! however as they did it in consecutive years, something no other artist managed to do.
In 2021 Official Charts joined forces with Nine Eight Books to bring the first-ever official guide to every Christmas Number 1 single in history. The Official Christmas No.1 Singles Book is out now and available through Official Charts' online shop, as well as at Waterstones, Amazon, WHSmith* and more.
*This article contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission.
The Official Christmas Number 1s
The list of every UK Christmas Number 1 single ever, from the very first festive chart topper in 1952 - Al Martino's Here In My Heart - to LadBaby's record-breaking five Christmas Number 1s on the bounce, and WHAM!'s bittersweet 39-year mission to land the Christmas crown.
| YEAR | TITLE | ARTIST |
| 1952 | HERE IN MY HEART | AL MARTINO |
| 1953 | ANSWER ME | FRANKIE LAINE |
| 1954 | LET'S HAVE ANOTHER PARTY | WINIFRED ATWELL |
| 1955 | CHRISTMAS ALPHABET | DICKIE VALENTINE |
| 1956 | JUST WALKIN' IN THE RAIN | JOHNNIE RAY |
| 1957 | MARY'S BOY CHILD | HARRY BELAFONTE |
| 1958 | IT'S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE | CONWAY TWITTY |
| 1959 | WHAT DO YOU WANT TO MAKE THOSE EYES AT ME FOR? | EMILE FORD & THE CHECKMATES |
| 1960 | I LOVE YOU | CLIFF RICHARD & THE SHADOWS |
| 1961 | MOON RIVER | DANNY WILLIAMS |
| 1962 | RETURN TO SENDER | ELVIS PRESLEY |
| 1963 | I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND | THE BEATLES |
| 1964 | I FEEL FINE | THE BEATLES |
| 1965 | DAY TRIPPER/WE CAN WORK IT OUT | THE BEATLES |
| 1966 | GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOME | TOM JONES |
| 1967 | HELLO, GOODBYE | THE BEATLES |
| 1968 | LILY THE PINK | THE SCAFFOLD |
| 1969 | TWO LITTLE BOYS | ROLF HARRIS |
| 1970 | I HEAR YOU KNOCKING | DAVE EDMUNDS |
| 1971 | ERNIE (THE FASTEST MILKMAN IN THE WEST) | BENNY HILL |
| 1972 | LONG HAIRED LOVER FROM LIVERPOOL | JIMMY OSMOND |
| 1973 | MERRY XMAS EVERYBODY | SLADE |
| 1974 | LONELY THIS CHRISTMAS | MUD |
| 1975 | BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY | QUEEN |
| 1976 | WHEN A CHILD IS BORN (SOLEADO) | JOHNNY MATHIS |
| 1977 | MULL OF KINTYRE/GIRLS' SCHOOL | WINGS |
| 1978 | MARY'S BOY CHILD – OH MY LORD | BONEY M |
| 1979 | ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) | PINK FLOYD |
| 1980 | THERE'S NO ONE QUITE LIKE GRANDMA | ST WINIFRED'S SCHOOL CHOIR |
| 1981 | DON'T YOU WANT ME | THE HUMAN LEAGUE |
| 1982 | SAVE YOUR LOVE | RENÉE AND RENATO |
| 1983 | ONLY YOU | THE FLYING PICKETS |
| 1984 | DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS? | BAND AID |
| 1985 | MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE | SHAKIN' STEVENS |
| 1986 | REET PETITE | JACKIE WILSON |
| 1987 | ALWAYS ON MY MIND | PET SHOP BOYS |
| 1988 | MISTLETOE AND WINE | CLIFF RICHARD |
| 1989 | DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS? | BAND AID II |
| 1990 | SAVIOUR'S DAY | CLIFF RICHARD |
| 1991 | BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY/THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES | QUEEN |
| 1992 | I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU | WHITNEY HOUSTON |
| 1993 | MR BLOBBY | MR BLOBBY |
| 1994 | STAY ANOTHER DAY | EAST 17 |
| 1995 | EARTH SONG | MICHAEL JACKSON |
| 1996 | 2 BECOME 1 | SPICE GIRLS |
| 1997 | TOO MUCH | SPICE GIRLS |
| 1998 | GOODBYE | SPICE GIRLS |
| 1999 | I HAVE A DREAM/SEASONS IN THE SUN | WESTLIFE |
| 2000 | CAN WE FIX IT? | BOB THE BUILDER |
| 2001 | SOMETHIN' STUPID | ROBBIE WILLIAMS & NICOLE KIDMAN |
| 2002 | SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND | GIRLS ALOUD |
| 2003 | MAD WORLD | MICHAEL ANDREWS & GARY JULES |
| 2004 | DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS? | BAND AID 20 |
| 2005 | THAT'S MY GOAL | SHAYNE WARD |
| 2006 | A MOMENT LIKE THIS | LEONA LEWIS |
| 2007 | WHEN YOU BELIEVE | LEON JACKSON |
| 2008 | HALLELUJAH | ALEXANDRA BURKE |
| 2009 | KILLING IN THE NAME | RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE |
| 2010 | WHEN WE COLLIDE | MATT CARDLE |
| 2011 | WHEREVER YOU ARE | MILITARY WIVES WITH GARETH MALONE |
| 2012 | HE AIN'T HEAVY, HE'S MY BROTHER | THE JUSTICE COLLECTIVE |
| 2013 | SKYSCRAPER | SAM BAILEY |
| 2014 | SOMETHING I NEED | BEN HAENOW |
| 2015 | A BRIDGE OVER YOU | THE LEWISHAM & GREENWICH NHS CHOIR |
| 2016 | ROCKABYE | CLEAN BANDIT |
| 2017 | PERFECT | ED SHEERAN |
| 2018 | WE BUILT THIS CITY | LADBABY |
| 2019 | I LOVE SAUSAGE ROLLS | LADBABY |
| 2020 | DON'T STOP ME EATIN' | LADBABY |
| 2021 | SAUSAGE ROLLS FOR EVERYONE | LADBABY FT. ED SHEERAN & ELTON JOHN |
| 2022 | FOOD AID | LADBABY |
| 2023 | LAST CHRISTMAS | WHAM! |
| 2024 | LAST CHRISTMAS | WHAM! |
©2024 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.
Listen to all the Official Christmas Number 1s on Spotify, Deezer and Apple music
Main image: Warner Bros/Regency/Canal +/Kobal/Mark Allan/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
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Jon Whitworth
According to your website, It's Now Or Never was number one on Christmas Day 1960. Why is the Christmas number one given to Cliff Richard ?
Chris Stobart
When I look at the charts for December 25th every year the ones for 1960 and 1961 show up differently. 1960 should be Elvis Presley with It's Now or Never and 1961 should be Frankie Vaughan with Tower of Strength. The titles given above supplanted them the following weeks respectively.
BleeUK
yeah your right, it becuase of this week ending thing and the data is the week before, also there a major issue for UK Music charts for Christmas as it never takes in count any Christmas data, it the week before, Most of all this data is completely false on the list, because the UK Media for Radio, Top Of The Pops and internet data branded is not during Christmas data, it all based on the week before Christmas, so every positions and every #1 may or have changed, Sadly the package is of run up to christmas than effect for christmas charts, for example Rage Was never Christmas #1 in 2009 with Killing In The Name there top reign was only from 13th to 19th December Sales for 20th December all recording broadcast, but the unbranded christmas Charts for radio and media was from 27th December were Joe McElderry climbed up to #1 and knocked Rage The Machine off the top spot With The Climb Based on From 20th to 26th December Sales.
BleeUK
Funny enough you might not want to hear Chris but 1960 and 1961 is the only ones that sort of correct truth data the rest is false, it was not elvis or Frankie as that was the week before christmas, the correct fill of 1960 and 1961 is getting towards the true Christmas #1 for Christmas Charts, as thats close during Christmas Time and Christmas Day Data, normally every artist and song with positions is way before christmas sales data from days to a week to two weeks out for media radio and Top Of The Pops as never includes any Christmas data as it taking before. so this is now corrected as it can 1960s and 1961, now we need a refill on the rest of the chart positions for artist and songs,
DM
David McAllister
Bohemian Rhapsody has been the Christmas Number 1 twice - in 1975 and 1991. This is the only song to have been Christmas No 1 more than once.
BW
Barry Wood
Incorrect. ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ and ‘Mary’s Boy Child’ have both been No.1 more than once.
‘BR’ is the only song of the same version by exactly the same artist(s) to have been Christmas No.1 twice.
DM
David McAllister
True. Do They Know it's Christmas and Mary's boy child have reached number 1 more than once, but they haven't reached the Christmas No 1 spot, i.e. the no 1
on Christmas day. Plus the fact, they've been new recordings, not originals.
gervase kempinski
It's the only time the same version of a song has been number 1 at Christmas
Blank
Being new recordings is the point Barry is making. Also, those songs WERE the Christmas #1 in their old version (1957 and 1984 respectively) and in newer recordings (1978 and 1989/2004 respectively). Many of the talent show and Lad Baby #1's are covers of #1s for other artists that were #1 at other times of the year.
BleeUK
Most of all this data is completely false, because the UK Media for Radio, Top Of The Pops and internet data branded is not during Christmas data, it all based on the week before Christmas, so every positions and every #1 may or have changed during the festive day or week, Sadly the package is of run up to christmas than effect for christmas charts, for example Rage Was never Christmas #1 in 2009 with Killing In The Name there top reign was only from 13th to 19th December Sales for 20th December all recording broadcast, but the unbranded christmas Charts for radio and media was from 27th December were Joe McElderry climbed up to #1 and knocked Rage The Machine off the top spot With The Climb Based on From 20th December Sales.
AW
Aaron Webb
You keep on repeating the same over and over. I hate to break it to you but the Christmas No. 1 and how it's adjudicated are not decided by you.
MJ
Matthew James
Melanie C holds the record for female artist to feature on the most Christmas #1's having 3 with the Spice Girls 2 become 1 (96), Too much (97), Goodbye (98) and then 1 with The Justice Collective He aint heavy he's my brother (2012). Spice Girls really should have gone for that fourth Christmas #1 in 1999 they were still massive at the time with solo entries charting high and they could have tied with The Beatles...
K
Kevin
Paul McCartney was involved in 8 Christmas number ones, so has he had the most?
ML
Mick Lynch
dont forget Cliff had 3 xmas no. 1s (starting in 1960). he also sang on 3 consecutive xmas no. 1s (1988-1990).
I Am A Stegosaurus
band aid 2 was 1989??
ML
Mick Lynch
yes it was. after band aid 20 and band aid 30 it could be called band aid 5, but in 1989, it was the second version of the classic so it was just called band aid II
I Am A Stegosaurus
Oh right.