HERE’S a great early Christmas present — you won’t have to put up with another ridiculous sausage roll-themed single in the next few weeks.
YouTuber Ladbaby has bafflingly scored the festive No1 for the past five consecutive years, but this time, someone else will finally bag it.
That’s enough to get me in the Christmas spirit already.
Yesterday, Mark Hoyle and his wife Roxanne, known as Ladbabymum, announced they were stepping back from the race for the Christmas top slot after raising more than £1.3million for foodbank charity The Trussell Trust with their parodies.
Hats off to them, they have done an amazing job in getting cash for a much-needed cause.
But after 2018’s We Built This City and 2019’s I Love Sausage Rolls, the novelty well and truly wore off.
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And figures massively slumped by the time they reached No1 last Christmas with Food Aid.
However, in a terrifying threat, Mark told Radio 2: “I’m not saying I’m retiring from music.
“I’m not saying this is me done for ever.
“If Mariah Carey wants to get in the studio and duet All I Want For Christmas Is Sausage Rolls, she knows where I am.”
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I’ll keep my fingers crossed that never happens.
The good news means there is room for a raft of fresh acts to top the charts with properly joyful tunes this year — and reignite a proper race to the Christmas No1.
Among those leading the pack is Girls Aloud, who, as I revealed this month, have reunited to record their first single in 11 years.
Their debut single Sound Of The Underground was the festive chart topper in 2002, so it would be great to see them back at No1 now.
The group teased there will be an announcement tomorrow.
Plenty of classic tunes from Mariah, The Pogues and Wham! are also in the running, as is a new release from Sam Ryder.
According to bookie Ladbrokes, Sam has odds of 12/1 to clinch the festive top spot with his brilliant track You’re Christmas To Me, which has been released exclusively on Amazon Music.
But there are bound to be plenty more charitable entries too.
Austrian singer Trickster has released the mash-up Silent Night vs Santa Claus Is Coming To Town and, off the back of LadBaby’s withdrawal, has announced he will donate his profits to The Trussell Trust, too.
He said: “The reign of the sausage roll is over, so maybe it’s time for Austria’s Trickster — well, it could be würst.!”
Here we go again.
Christmas No1 odds from Ladbrokes
The Pogues – 11/10
Girls Aloud – 5/1
Wham! – 8/1
Mariah Carey – 10/1
Adele – 12/1
Ed Sheeran – 12/1
JVKE – 12/1
Sam Ryder – 12/1
Sidemen – 12/1
Taylor Swift – 12/1
In good spirits
ED SHEERAN has been on stage nearly every night this year, so no wonder he was in good spirits as he enjoyed a rare evening off with his wife.
The superstar whisked Cherry Seaborn away for a romantic dinner at a posh restaurant in London’s Mayfair on Monday.
He has been a busy man with his mammoth Mathematics Tour, which kicked off in April, and the release of albums Subtract in May and Autumn Variations in September.
Ed is releasing 14 fan-created music videos for the latter album’s tracks and he kicked things off yesterday with Brazilian filmmaker Beatriz Santamaria Pinha’s production for That’s On Me.
Ed said: “I made Autumn Variations for the fans. I was keen to see how they interpreted the music, so I decided to ask my fans to make videos for each album track.
“There were so many wonderful submissions.”
Stones are out of Glasto
FANS will have to keep on waiting for the Rolling Stones to headline Glastonbury.
Confirming my story from Monday’s Bizarre, the rock band have announced they are heading on the road across the US and Canada next summer, which knocks them out of the running for the festival where they last topped the bill ten years ago.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood will perform across North America over three months.
They will kick things off in Houston’s NRG Stadium in Texas on April 28, ending the jaunt on July 17 at Levi’s Stadium in California three weeks after Glastonbury.
The trip comes hot on the heels of their No1 album Hackney Diamonds, their first record of original material in 18 years.
The band hasn’t played in the UK since their No Filter tour in 2018.
Ronnie has said he is desperate to play Glastonbury again and they are bound to have a heroes welcome when they do.
But with Madonna and Dua Lipa among the stars expected to play there next year, I’ll welcome the Stones back to Worthy Farm with open arms in 2025.
Guetta fit fast, Joel
JOEL CORRY is looking to fellow DJ David Guetta for gym inspiration.
In his mid-fifties, David still has a body most men can but dream of and Joel plans to pump iron with him soon.
Joel told me: “The gym for me is a priority. It’s a non-negotiable. Me and David keep talking about working out together because he’s also ripped. It’s not easy because I travel so much.
“I just make sure I always put an hour aside to do a workout wherever I am. Sometimes I’m out finding a gym at 5.30am in a city, to train before work starts.
“Rita Ora was saying she wanted to get in the gym with me as well, and she is in amazing shape. Who knows, a Corry/Guetta/Ora gym workout could be coming your way soon.”
But it’s not all workouts and late-night DJ sets for Joel.
He told me: “I’m going to take a holiday in January for a few weeks after all the Christmas and New Year gigs.
“It’s the only real holiday I have for the whole year. I switch my phone off and reset. I’m thinking about Tulum in Mexico.”
Bestival’s game on
YOU can now go to a festival at any time of the year after a limited-edition version of Monopoly was released based around the much-loved family bash Camp Bestival.
From November 24 to 27, organisers will run a Christmas bundle ticket offer so fans can snap up tickets for Camp Bestival in either Shropshire or Dorset next summer and get a copy of the game in time for December 25.
6Music DJ Rob Da Bank, who runs the festival with his wife Josie, said: “With the whole board and money hand-drawn by Josie, plus cute tipi and campervan pieces instead of hotels, this is a truly magical board game which we’ve been playing as a family since we got the prototype board last month.”
Another event for the whole family to get excited for is In It Together Festival in Margam, South Wales, from May 24 to 26, which has just announced Sugababes, Rag’n’Bone Man and Dizzee Rascal as its headliners.
RIHANNA shows things are afoot as she showcased her fashion brand Fenty’s latest collab with Puma Creepers.
She was at the F1 Grand Prix in Vegas at the weekend with partner A$AP Rocky.
She had their second child in August.
It’s been eight years since her last album Anti, so let’s hope her next little bundle of joy is a musical one.
