Special Edition
The Christmas Chronicle
Every Christmas No. 1 · 1952–2025
UK Christmas Number Ones: Every Year Since 1952
Every single that has been Christmas number one in the UK, from Al Martino's “Here in My Heart” in 1952 to Kylie Minogue's “XMAS” in 2025. Each year links to what else happened that year, and on Christmas Day itself.
The Christmas number one is the single at the top of the Official UK Singles Chart announced as the Christmas chart — the week before or including Christmas Day — as listed on Wikipedia's "List of UK singles chart Christmas number ones".
Famous Christmas Number Ones
- 1973The race for Christmas number one began in earnest in 1973, when Slade's “Merry Xmas Everybody” beat Wizzard's “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday”.
- 1975 · 1991“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen was Christmas number one twice: in 1975, and again in 1991.
- 1957 · 1978 · 1984 · 1989 · 2004“Mary's Boy Child” was Christmas number one for Harry Belafonte in 1957 and for Boney M. in 1978, and “Do They Know It's Christmas?” has been Christmas number one four times: for three generations of Band Aid and, in 2022, for LadBaby's parody.
- 2009In 2009 Rage Against the Machine's 1992 single “Killing in the Name” outsold that year's X Factor winner, Joe McElderry, after a Facebook campaign, making them the first group to reach Christmas number one with a download-only single.
- 2023 · 2024“Last Christmas” by Wham!, first released in 1984, became the first single to be Christmas number one in two consecutive years, 2023 and 2024.
Christmas Number Ones of the 1950s
- 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 and the Checkmates
Christmas Number Ones of the 1960s
- 1960
“I Love You”
Cliff Richard and 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
Christmas Number Ones of the 1970s
- 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
Christmas Number Ones of the 1980s
- 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
Christmas Number Ones of the 1990s
- 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
Christmas Number Ones of the 2000s
- 2000
“Can We Fix It?”
Bob the Builder
- 2001
“Somethin' Stupid”
Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman
- 2002
“Sound of the Underground”
Girls Aloud
- 2003
“Mad World”
Michael Andrews and 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
Christmas Number Ones of the 2010s
- 2010
“When We Collide”
Matt Cardle
- 2011
“Wherever You Are”
Military Wives ft. 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”
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir
- 2016
“Rockabye”
Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul and Anne-Marie
- 2017
“Perfect”
Ed Sheeran
- 2018
“We Built This City”
LadBaby
- 2019
“I Love Sausage Rolls”
LadBaby
Christmas Number Ones of the 2020s
- 2020
“Don't Stop Me Eatin'”
LadBaby
- 2021
“Sausage Rolls for Everyone”
LadBaby ft. Ed Sheeran and Elton John
- 2022
“Food Aid”
LadBaby
- 2023
“Last Christmas”
Wham!
- 2024
“Last Christmas”
Wham!
- 2025
“XMAS”
Kylie Minogue
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) — “List of UK singles chart Christmas number ones”. About our sources