LadBaby have made history by topping the charts with their song Food Aid this week, becoming the first act ever to claim five Official UK Christmas Number 1 singles.
The announcement comes following a close battle for the festive top spot, after married duo Mark and Roxanne Hoyle enlisted the services of money saving expert Martin Lewis to help their bid to have a fifth festive chart-topper.
Food Aid has shifted a total of over 65,000 chart units and delivered the fastest-selling single of 2022 to date, the Official Charts Company has revealed.
Now having five festive chart-toppers, LadBaby has also broken a long-held chart record set by The Beatles, after equaling the band's total of four Christmas Number 1s last year.
LadBaby's previous singles have been We Built This City (2018), I Love Sausage Rolls (2019), Don't Stop Me Eatin' (2020) and last year's Ed Sheeran and Elton John collaboration Sausage Rolls For Everyone (2021).
Profits from the new single – which is a re-interpretation of Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? – will be split between food bank charity The Trussell Trust and the Band Aid Trust.
Wham!'s Last Christmas is second place on the chart. YouTube supergroup Sidemen's charity single Christmas Drillings, featuring JME, takes the third spot.
Mariah Carey follows with All I Want For Christmas Is You, whilst Ed Sheeran and Elton John 's Merry Christmas rounds off the Top 5.
RAYE & 070 Shake's Escapism becomes the highest-charting non-Christmas song this week at Number 6.
Two new tracks – The K**ts' anarchic F**k The Tories and Central Cee's surprise drop Let Go – entered the midweek Top 10 earlier this week. They remain in the Top 10.
Taylor Swift topped the Official Albums Chart with Midnights, landing herself the Christmas Number 1 Album.
Celebrating their latest success, LadBaby told OfficialCharts.com: "I can't quite believe it! We're Number 1! The charity has made it five years in a row. How have we done this again?
"We want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us for the last five years. A massive apology to The Beatles, and to all The Beatles' fans ... I'm sorry! The charity wins. The Trussell Trust gets Christmas Number 1 again!
"Thank you to all the people who have downloaded, all the people who believed in us and brought a bit of Christmas magic. We love you all. Yes mate!"
LadBaby appeared to be favourites to top the Official Singles Chart prior to the Christmas Number 1 being announced this evening.
At the beginning of this week, LadBaby were still leading the pack with their charity track as their rivals campaigned ahead of the race drawing to a close today.
The Official Charts Company confirmed on Wednesday that the married duo and Martin's offering was 12,000 chart units ahead of its nearest competition, Wham!'s Last Christmas – which was the current Number 1 single at the time.
LadBaby's latest Christmas single aims to raise money to fight against food hunger and poverty, with 100% of the profits being donated to charity.
50% of the profits will be donated to The Trussell Trust, a charity which works to end the need for food banks in the UK, and the other 50% will be donated to the Band Aid Trust.
The song was re-written with permission from Bob Geldof, Midge Ure and the Band Aid Trust – as Ladbaby teamed up with Grammy Award -winning Amy Wadge, who has collaborated with Ed Sheeran, to rewrite the festive song.
Announcing their new song earlier this month, Mark and Roxanne said: "We never intended to release a 5th Christmas single but as ambassadors of the Trussell Trust we were not prepared to sit back and do nothing in a year when people are struggling more than ever.
"The Trussell Trust, which supports more than 1,300 food bank centres, has told us that the cost of living emergency has created a 'tsunami of need', as people struggle to survive amidst the soaring costs of living. With need outstripping donations for the first time in its history, we need to help ensure that food banks keep going this winter.
"Working households, families and disabled people are all really struggling."
The couple approached financial expert Martin to help them out with vocals this year – along with a series of celebrity impersonators.
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