Every Official Christmas Number 1 ever!

Look back at every Christmas chart-topper of the last 70 years.
Every christmas number 1

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.

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 only 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 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 four Christmas Number 1s on the bounce.

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!

©2023 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

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Main image: Warner Bros/Regency/Canal +/Kobal/Mark Allan/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

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avatar

Jon Whitworth

0

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 ?

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Chris Stobart

-1

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.

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BleeUK

0

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.

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BleeUK

0

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

0

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

1

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

0

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.

avatar

gervase kempinski

1

It's the only time the same version of a song has been number 1 at Christmas

avatar

Blank

0

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.

avatar

BleeUK

0

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

0

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

0

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

0

Paul McCartney was involved in 8 Christmas number ones, so has he had the most?

ML

Mick Lynch

2

dont forget Cliff had 3 xmas no. 1s (starting in 1960). he also sang on 3 consecutive xmas no. 1s (1988-1990).

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I Am A Stegosaurus

0

band aid 2 was 1989??

ML

Mick Lynch

0

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

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I Am A Stegosaurus

0

Oh right.