The Pogues have been heavily backed to land their first number one for Christmas 2023.
The Pogues are now 80% likely to secure the Christmas Number One in 2023 with their smash hit ‘Fairytale of New York’ (best price 1/4) after the sad news emerged regarding front man Shane MacGowan. Perennial winners LadBaby are also not releasing a 2023 Christmas single.
The husband and wife duo of Roxanne and Mark Hoyle have claimed the UK Christmas number one for the past five years (most recently with ‘Food Aid’ in 2022), but their withdrawal from the race in 2023 has left the door open for The Pogues.
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‘Fairytale of New York’ was released in 1987 and reached No. 1 in the Irish charts but only No. 2 in the British charts over Christmas behind the Pet Shop Boys' 'Always on My Mind'.
The Pogues’ bid for Christmas Number 1 is now even more poignant after lead singer Shane MacGowan sadly passed aged 65 after suffering from a rare brain condition.
2023 Christmas Number One Odds
| Christmas Number One | Best Odds | Worst Odds |
|---|---|---|
| The Pogues | 1/4 | 1/5 |
| Wham! | 6/1 | 5/1 |
| Mariah Carey | 10/1 | 10/1 |
| Taylor Swift | 12/1 | 12/1 |
| Sam Ryder | 16/1 | 12/1 |
Christmas Number One Betting
Over the last few weeks, the betting activity through oddschecker had suggested the race to be Christmas Number One in 2023 was a two-horse race between LadBaby and The Pogues.
However, LadBaby's withdrawal opened the door to market outsiders beyond The Pogues including Wham! and Mariah Carey (10/1).
So far this month, The Pogues have taken nearly 50% of the bets but Wham! are not too far behind with 30% support for their classic 'Last Christmas'.
White Christmas 2023: Will it be a White Christmas in the UK?
Meanwhile, Betfred are offering the chance for five lucky entrants to win £1 million if there is snow on Christmas morning in London.
At the time of writing, it is 11/1 likely that there will be snow on Christmas Day 2023 in London (City Airport). The favourite UK city to have snow is Edinburgh (2/1).
