Band Aid 40 odds-on for Christmas Number One

Do They Know It’s Christmas? is back once more, this time with a mix of new and classic voices from previous versions…

Band Aid have shot straight into favouritism with William Hill to top the UK charts on Christmas Day 2024 after confirming a 40^th anniversary track for Do They Know It’s Christmas? The “ultimate” version of the iconic 1984 festive tune is 4/7 to be this year’s Xmas number one after being announced earlier this week, displacing Wham! (2/1) at the top of the market.

The song came to be after Bob Geldof saw a number of 1984 reports by BBC News journalist Michael Buerk, which highlighted the famine in Ethiopia. With Midge Ure the pair came up with the fundraising charity track.

Do They Know It’s Christmas? in its original release had star singers such as George Michael, Boy George, Bono and Paul Young to name a few with a spin-off by Stock Aitken Waterman released in 1989 featuring ‘Hit Factory’ stars such as Cliff Richard, Sonia, Jason Donovan, Bros and Kylie feature.

The song was back with another recording in 2004 to mark its 20th anniversary with singers including Beverley Knight, Busted, Dizzee Rascal and Daniel Bedingfield taking part. A fourth offering came a decade ago with  Ed Sheeran, One Direction, Paloma Faith and Sinéad O’Connor featuring. The 2024 offering sees vocals from previous recordings mixed with new artist performances.

Back to the festive charts and Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas is always a big hitter during the festive months and is 3/1 to claim this year’s accolade, with Tom Grennan (8/1) and Taylor Swift (9/1) also deemed to be in with a shout.

Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps:

“Band Aid’s announcement that they will be releasing a 40^th anniversary track of their beloved Do They Know It’s Christmas? single has seen the group snatch top spot in the Christmas number one betting.

“Bono and co. weren’t even a selection in the market until this week’s announcement but have immediately been installed as the 4/7 favourites to top the charts on Christmas Day, leaving Wham! (2/1) and Mariah Carey (3/1) in their wake.”

William Hill – Christmas Number One 2024: