Connect with us

Published

on

‘Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the charts, several artists were stirring, to be Top Of The Pops.

Festive classics are battling it out with more modern hits in the most competitive Christmas chart in years – and the final cut-off for sales and streams to count is midnight tonight.

Wham!’s Last Christmas was the early leader, but with a new mid-week vinyl release of The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s Fairytale Of New York, following the death of frontman Shane MacGowan, there could be a change ahead of Friday’s big reveal.

There has also been hype building around fellow contenders Sam Ryder and Mariah Carey.

With LadBaby dropping out of the running after five years at the top at Christmas, it is all to play for.

Whoever is number one in the Official Singles Chart on Friday, they will join some British musical icons who have previously secured the festive top spot, including The Beatles and the Spice Girls – as well as more unlikely chart-toppers such as Mr Blobby and Bob The Builder.

Here, Sky News looks at this year’s contenders.

Wham! – Last Christmas

Wham pictured in September 1984, three months before Last Christmas was released
Image:
Wham! in 1984

The 1984 hit was number one in last week’s chart – securing the top spot for the second week in a row.

George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s melancholy tale of a scorned lover is one of the favourites for the Christmas crown.

If it succeeds, it will be the first time it has been Christmas number one – it was famously kept off the top spot in 1984 by Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?.

Last Christmas has hit the top of the charts several times previously – but not as Christmas number one – in 2021, 2022 and January 2023.

Sam Ryder – You’re Christmas To Me

Sam Ryder
Image:
Sam Ryder

Sam Ryder is in the running after a late surge with his song You’re Christmas To Me.

His single was released exclusively through Amazon Music (so isn’t on Spotify or Apple) but he is now in a “tight scuffle” with Wham! for the Christmas number one, according to the Official Charts Company.

After finishing in second place in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, could Ryder go one better this time and top the festive charts?

Creator Universe – I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday

Creator Universe – a collection of more than 30 TikTok stars – is in the race for Christmas number one with a cover of Wizzard’s 1973 track I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday.

The song was only released on 15 December, with profits from the single to be donated to The Trussell Trust, which runs around 1,200 food banks across the UK.

Some of the online influencers who recorded the cover at London’s Abbey Road Studios were Rosie McClelland, The Famileigh and Amy-Jo Simpson.

Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas

In this Dec. 3, 2014 file photo, Mariah Carey performs at the 82nd Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony in New York. Caesars Palace announced Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, that the pop icon would launch a residency May 16 at The Colosseum in Las Vegas. Carey has announced 18 performances so far. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
Image:
Mariah Carey in 2014

The US superstar missed out on Christmas number one to East 17’s Stay Another Day when both songs were released in 1994.

But Carey is in with a shot this year, charting at number three in last week’s chart.

The song broke UK chart records when it hit number one in December 2020 – 26 years after its release.

It has been in the top 40 for the festive season every year since 2007.

The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale Of New York

Singers Kirsty MacColl and Shane MacGowan collaborated on the controversial Pogues' Christmas song 'Fairytale in New York' which is now considered offensive by some
Image:
Kirsty MacColl and Shane MacGowan

After the death of The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan last month, an online campaign has gathered momentum to get their gloomy yet hopeful 1988 Christmas classic to the number one spot for the first time ever.

MacGowan’s wife Victoria Mary Clarke said previously the song “should be the Christmas number one, it absolutely should. I’m very much in favour of that”.

She added: “I don’t think [getting to number one] was ever that important to him, because I think that he really appreciated the fact that so many people love it and it means so much to so many people, and being number one isn’t really all about being appreciated.”

MacGowan’s partner on the song, Kirsty MacColl, died in a boating accident in Mexico in December 2000.

Jack Harlow – Lovin On Me

Jack Harlow attends the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 5, 2023. REUTERS/David Swanson
Image:
Jack Harlow at the 2023 Grammys

The first non-festive contender is US rapper Jack Harlow’s Lovin On Me.

It is the 25-year-old’s fourth top five single in the UK.

The song was previously in the number one spot for three consecutive weeks in November and December – making it Harlow’s first chart-topping song in the UK.

A snippet of the song went viral on TikTok before its release.

Noah Kahan – Stick Season

OAKLAND, CA - MARCH 26: Noah Kahan performs live in concert at the Fox Theater on March 26, 2019 in Oakland, California. Photo: imageSPACE/MediaPunch
Image:
Noah Kahan performing in 2019. Pic: AP

The US singer’s breakthrough UK hit climbed to the second place position on last week’s chart after 11 weeks in the chart.

The popularity of the 26-year-old’s song was boosted by a cover performed by pop star Olivia Rodrigo.

Kahan, from Vermont, first hit the charts in October, and has been in the second spot for two non-consecutive weeks.

Ed Sheeran and Sir Elton John – Merry Christmas

Undated handout photo issued by Official Charts Company of Ed Sheeran (right) and Sir Elton John who's festive collaboration Merry Christmas has gone straight to the top of the UK singles chart. Issue date: Friday December 10, 2021.
Image:
Sir Elton John and Ed Sheeran in 2021 when they secured the number one spot on the charts

Ed Sheeran and Sir Elton John‘s 2021 offering was pipped in the Christmas charts that year by a remix of itself – LadBaby‘s Sausage Rolls For Everyone.

However, it was number one for three non-consecutive weeks that year, and reached a high of number three on last year’s Christmas charts.

An outside contender for 2023, it was in sixth position in last week’s chart.

Continue Reading

UK

Liverpool fan says his baby was flung 15ft in his pram and his partner run over during trophy parade

Published

on

By

Liverpool fan says his baby was flung 15ft in his pram and his partner run over during trophy parade

A father has told Sky News how his partner was driven over, and his baby son was flung 15ft in his pram, after they were hit by a vehicle during the Liverpool parade collision.

Daniel Everson, 36, had been with Sheree Aldridge and their five-month-old baby, Teddy, at Liverpool FC’s victory parade on Monday.

“The best day of my life turned into worst”, said Daniel, a lifelong fan of ‘The Reds’.

Daniel described the moment the car came towards him and his family.

“I tried to hold on to the front of the car and try and stop it, push it, do whatever I could [to stop it] from hitting my partner and my baby.

'The best day of my life turned into worst', Daniel Everson told Sky News.
Image:
Daniel Everson was in the crowd for the Liverpool trophy parade when the incident took place

“Me and my partner were flat on the roof, on the bonnet… we were just both trying to hold on for dear life with Ted next to us.

“And my partner went under the wheels of the car, of the front of the car, and it rolled over her leg, and I just bounced off to the side, but my boy and his pram got bounced totally in the opposite direction – about 15ft down the road.

Read more on Sky News:
Andrew Tate and his brother charged with rape
Trump issues Putin warning

“As soon as that happened, I just started screaming for my partner, and I found her and I asked where Teddy was, and she didn’t know… and I found him and he was okay, thank God.

“He was in the road, in his pram, on his back, and I grabbed him. I chucked the pushchair to the side and I ran up to some paramedics with him.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

The suspect is being held on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and drug driving.

Daniel, from Telford, said he felt like he was in “hell” as he rushed back to find Sheree.

“I had to carry her up the road with four police officers holding her while she was screaming and crying. At that point, I didn’t know what was wrong with her, but I could see the injuries to her leg,” he explained.

Sheree, 36, is recovering at Aintree University Hospital after suffering muscle tissue damage. Daniel has been allowed to return home with Teddy after he was assessed at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

“I feel a lot of emotions right now. Upset, angry, traumatised. A lot of unanswered questions that need to be answered.

To me, it just wasn’t handled properly – the situation with the car getting that far into the crowd, in my opinion, he should not have got anywhere near us.”

Merseyside Police have now been given more time to question a 53-year-old arrested after a car struck a crowd at Liverpool FC’s victory parade on Monday.

The suspect, who police have described as a white British man from the local area, is being held on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving, and drug driving.

Police have said the extra time they have been given to question the suspect runs into Thursday.

Continue Reading

UK

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan charged with rape in the UK

Published

on

By

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan charged with rape in the UK

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate have been charged with rape and other offences in the UK.

Andrew Tate, 38, faces 10 charges, including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain, relating to three women.

His brother Tristan Tate, 36, faces 11 charges relating to one woman – including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking.

The charges were authorised in January 2024, but full details have only been released now.

Bedfordshire Police issued an international arrest warrant for the brothers over allegations, which they “unequivocally deny”, said to have occurred between 2012 and 2015.

The Tate brothers are facing separate allegations of trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering in Romania.

They are also accused of human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women in a different case, which has been sent back to prosecutors.

They are due to be extradited to the UK following the conclusion of proceedings in Romania.

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan outside a Bucharest court last month. File pic: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea via Reuters
Image:
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan outside a Bucharest court in January. File pic: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea via Reuters

A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have authorised charges against Andrew and Tristan Tate for offences including rape, human trafficking, controlling prostitution and actual bodily harm against three women.

“These charging decisions followed receipt of a file of evidence from Bedfordshire Police.

“A European Arrest Warrant was issued in England in 2024, and as a result the Romanian courts ordered the extradition to the UK of Andrew and Tristan Tate.”

The spokesperson added: “However, the domestic criminal matters in Romania must be settled first.

“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds everyone that criminal proceedings are active, and the defendants have the right to a fair trial.

“It is extremely important that there be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

Read more from Sky News:
New footage of Liverpool collision
Cummings says Badenoch will be ousted
UK has sunniest spring on record

Representatives for Andrew Tate have been contacted by Sky News for comment.

Lawyer Matt Jury, of McCue Jury & Partners, representing several alleged British victims of Andrew Tate, said: “We welcome the clarity from the Crown Prosecution Service that our authorities are working to ensure the Tates face justice here in the UK – they cannot be allowed to escape extradition.

“At the same time, we ask once more that CPS admit its mistake in failing to prosecute Tate when he lived in the UK and finally charge him for the rape and assault of the other three women, our clients, who originally filed criminal complaints against him as long ago as 2014 but were failed by the system.

“They deserve justice, too.”

The allegations were subject to a police investigation, which was closed in 2019.

Continue Reading

UK

Police given more time to question Liverpool parade collision suspect

Published

on

By

Police given more time to question Liverpool parade collision suspect

Merseyside Police has been given more time to question a 53-year-old man arrested over the Liverpool parade collision.

The suspect is being held on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and drug driving after a car was driven into a crowd at Liverpool FC’s victory parade on Monday.

Police have said the extra time they have been given to question the suspect runs into Thursday.

The force believes the vehicle which struck pedestrians on Water Street had followed an ambulance crew that was attending to someone suffering a heart attack, after a road block was temporarily lifted.

Earlier, new footage emerged showing a car being driven into the crowd as panicked fans watched in horror and tried to avoid being hit.

The CCTV footage showed supporters attempting to move out of the way as the vehicle ploughed into supporters.

Cries could be heard from the crowd – before police and members of the public chased after the car.

In an update on Wednesday, Merseyside Police said it was in contact with 79 people who were injured in the crash – an increase on the 65 people who were confirmed injured in the force’s previous update.

Seven people remain in hospital in a stable condition following the collision, the force added.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Moment car drives into crowds in Liverpool

Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson said: “I’m pleased to say that the number of people in hospital is reducing as they continue to recover from the awful incident.

“We continue to support those still receiving treatment and as part of our ongoing enquiries we are identifying more people who were injured.

“I want to reassure the public of Merseyside that detectives are making significant progress as we seek to establish the full circumstances that led to what happened.”

A view of Water Street after being reopened.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
Water Street where the collision happened has reopened. Pic: Reuters

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

DS Wilson said that “extensive CCTV enquiries” were being carried out across Liverpool to “establish the movements of the car, a Ford Galaxy, before the incident took place”.

She added: “We have already had an incredible response from many of those who were there on the day, and I thank them for their co-operation with our investigation.

“I would encourage anyone who has not yet contacted police who may have information on this incident to do so.

“An extensive investigation into the precise circumstances of the incident is ongoing, and we continue to ask people not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding the incident and refrain from sharing distressing content online.”

Read more:
Liverpool parade reconstructed
Why police released ‘unprecedented’ details about suspect
Parade victim says he’s been left ‘traumatised’

Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool Victory Parade - Liverpool, Britain - May 26, 2025 Emergency services at the scene after multiple people were hit by a car during the Victory parade REUTERS/Phil Noble
Image:
Emergency service on Water Street after the collision. Pic: Reuters

It comes after Water Street was reopened to vehicles and pedestrians on Wednesday after the police cordon was lifted.

Street cleaning teams worked overnight to clear the road, which had been littered with bottles, cans and football scarves and flags.

One remaining Liverpool flag was removed from the top of a set of traffic lights by a worker wearing hi-vis.

👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈

On Tuesday night, Liverpool manager Arne Slot decided not to attend the League Managers Association’s annual awards ceremony “in solidarity with those affected by the incident on Monday”.

Meanwhile, speaking at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said the collision on Water Street “showed the two faces of life”.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Klopp sends ‘thoughts and prayers’ to victims

He said: “The most beautiful face for a long, long time: the parade was incredible, the mood was incredible and from one second to another everything changed and we learned again there are more serious things in the world than football.

“Thoughts and prayers go to the injured people and their families as well.

“It should have been one of the greatest days in the history of the city, after a long, long time, because we didn’t have the opportunity to do it last time. I don’t know how and why it happened but we know what happened and that’s very bad.”

Continue Reading

Trending