Who is in the running for the 2022 Christmas number one?

The battle for Christmas number one is well under way, with LadBaby, Tom Grennan and Sidemen all in the running.

The festive chart topper will be unveiled by the Official Charts Company on December 25, so here is a look at who is in with a chance of securing the coveted Christmas Day top spot.

– LadBaby

LadBaby is once again in the running for scoring a Christmas number one, after topping the charts for the past four years.

Social media star Mark Hoyle and his wife Roxanne (LadBaby Mum) are attempting to continue their Christmas number one streak after they made chart history by securing the Christmas number one for a fourth consecutive year in 2021, becoming the first musicians to do so in the 70 years of the Official Christmas Chart.

Alongside MoneySavingExpert’s Martin Lewis, the couple have released a reworked version of the Band Aid song Do They Know It’s Christmas?

After becoming the first act to be allowed to rework the Band Aid song, getting permission from Bob Geldof, Midge Ure and the Band Aid Trust, the charity single titled Food Aid will raise money for the Trussell Trust and the Band Aid Trust.

– Tom Grennan

Bedford-born singer-songwriter Tom Grennan has found himself in the running for Christmas number one after dropping his latest track, You Are Not Alone, just over a week before the big day.

The 27-year-old has described the single as “the most personal song I have ever written” and “a song about kindness, and for anyone who has ever been made to feel alone”.

– Sidemen

British YouTube collective Sidemen have teamed up with MC and grime artist Jme to create their Christmas charity single Christmas Drillings.

The track entered the charts at number 39, with the group, consisting of YouTube personalities KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S, hoping it will creep up ahead of December 25.

The group has a combined total of more than 138 million followers across social media and will be donating all proceeds from Christmas Drillings to FareShare, a charity network which aims to relieve food poverty and reduce food waste in the UK.

– David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and The Lightning Seeds

Also in the running for Christmas number one is the updated release of football anthem Three Lions (It’s Coming Home), which was originally released in 1996 by David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and The Lightning Seeds.

Three Lions (It’s Coming Home For Christmas) was released ahead of the World Cup currently taking place in Qatar and has been sung far and wide during the course of the tournament and may well creep up the charts ahead of the Christmas number one unveiling.

– Peter Crouch and Paul Potts

In keeping with the themes of football and Christmas, former England football player Peter Crouch has teamed up with English tenor and Britain’s Got Talent winner Paul Potts and The Paddy Power Choir to release Christmas album Crouchy Conducts The Classics.

The football-inspired record features eight potentially chart-topping tracks, including The Twelve Days Of Football, Super Jacky Grealish and Crouchy Conducts The Classics Medley.

– Sam Smith

Following on from the release of their chart topper Unholy with Kim Petras, Sam Smith is back with Night Before Christmas in an attempt to reach number one this Christmas.

The 30-year-old singer is no stranger to the top of the charts, having secured an impressive eight number one singles and two number one albums throughout their career so far.

– Sir Cliff Richard

Sir Cliff Richard recently released his first Christmas album in almost two decades, putting him in the running to secure a Christmas number one this year.

Christmas With Cliff is the 82-year-old’s first Christmas release in 19 years and features 13 Christmas tracks.

Sir Cliff has previously enjoyed success on the UK charts with Mistletoe And Wine, which secured the coveted Christmas number one slot in 1988, and Saviour’s Day in 1990.

In 1960, Sir Cliff also held the top spot with backing band The Shadows when I Love You was the Christmas number one.

– Mariah Carey

The so-called Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey has made her way back into the charts with her 1994 Christmas classic All I Want For Christmas Is You.

Despite being one of the most popular Christmas songs, the track has never achieved Christmas number one status, having missed out to East 17’s Stay Another Day in the year it was released.

All I Want For Christmas first made it to number one on December 11 in 2020, 26 years after its release, and will once again be in contention for the Christmas Day top spot in 2022.