Christmas tunes battle for top spot glory

The Darkness and the Pop Idol 12 were battling it out today as the race for the UK Christmas number one hots up.

:: While the Pop Idol cover of Happy Xmas (War Is Over) started out as the bookies’ favourite, The Darkness are now being tipped to snatch the top spot this Sunday with their single Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End).

:: William Hill make the band 5/6 favourites to land the Christmas number one, with the Pop Idol 12 at 7/4.

:: Gary Joules’ version of Mad World, taken from the Donnie Darko soundtrack, is third favourite at 4/1 and could prove to be a dark horse.

:: The Darkness are being helped by the fact their single is available in three different formats.

:: Other contenders for the top five include Avid Merrion’s Proper Crimbo!, Bill Nighy’s Christmas Is All Around and Blue and Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

:: Last year’s Christmas number one was Girls Aloud with Sound of the Underground while in 2001 the crown went to Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman with Somethin’ Stupid.

:: In the 90s the Spice Girls achieved the feat three years in a row with 2 Become 1 in 1996, Too Much in 1997 and Goodbye in 1998.

:: The Beatles topped the charts three Christmases in a row from 1963-5 with I Want To Hold Your Hand, I Feel Fine and Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out.

:: Seasonal number ones have included Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody in 1973, Mud’s Lonely This Christmas the following year, and Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone in 1985.

:: It’s also a boom time for the novelty record, Mr Blobby making it to number one with the record of the same name in 1993 and Bob the Builder performing the feat in 2000 with Can We Fix It.