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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Barbara Ellen

Tatty, naff and cheesy: why can’t Britain have a decent Christmas No 1?

Benny Hill Blobby LadBaby Shane MacGowan Christmas Beatles Pogues Ed Sheeran Kirsty MacColl Mariah Carey
Kirsty MacColl and Shane MacGowan promoting the Pogues' Christmas song Fairytale of New York.
Kirsty MacColl and Shane MacGowan promoting the Pogues' Christmas song Fairytale of New York. Photograph: Tim Roney/Getty Images

Before we fully enter the festive season, succumbing to the sweet rustling embrace of mistletoe and Quality Street, please could we consider the good health, or otherwise, of the UK Christmas No 1 single?

While 2023’s victor will be announced within days, LadBaby (Mark Hoyle) has counted himself out. Usually in collaboration with his wife, Roxanne, he’s dominated the Christmas charts for five years. He’s raised huge amounts of money for the food bank charity the Trussell Trust with spoofs of classic rock songs (including I Love Sausage Rolls), along the way beating the Beatles record for the most Christmas No 1s.

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