The countdown to this year’s Christmas number one has begun, and a host of strong contenders are currently in the mix.
The 2024 Christmas number one was ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham! for the second consecutive year, beating out competition from the likes of Mariah Carey, Gracie Abrams, and more.
One name you’re used to seeing in the Christmas UK Singles Chart was LadBaby, who had dominated the charts with their charity singles each December since 2018, with some of the well-known titles including 'We Built This City’, ‘I Love Sausage Rolls’ and ‘Sausage Rolls for Everyone’.
However, the husband-and-wife duo put a halt to their Christmas number one success in 2023. They didn't release a new song last year, and there are no plans for a 2025 release either.
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Mark and Roxanne Hoyle, the couple behind the LadBaby brand, had previously collaborated with Sir Elton John and Ed Sheeran over the years, but their musical success came to a close for a heartbreaking reason.
In 2019, allegations emerged claiming that Roxanne, known as LadBaby Mum on social media, and Mark had been pocketing money from the tracks, despite it being said that all proceeds would go to the food bank charity The Trussell Trust.
Online abuse then ensued, including threats and blackmail attempts. The Trussell Trust stepped in to say the claims were false, but criticism of LadBaby continued nonetheless.
“I think there were a lot of misconceptions around money,” Mark told The Guardian last year. “I really struggled with that, because it’s one thing people going, ‘We don’t like your teeth, we don’t like your voice.’
"But when there’s this narrative going around that we stole the money, and we profited from it, it was really difficult to take.”
With the Trussell Trust having seen its highest levels of need in recent years, it could be asked why LadBaby didn’t use its platform to criticise the reasons food banks were needed, alongside raising awareness and cash.
But Mark said: “I’m not an expert to do that. For me, it was about helping families. That’s how we can make a difference. We can raise awareness and try to raise money.”
Roxanne added that the abuse they were facing over allegations around the singles was extreme, as she said ‘the police came to support us through that time’ with anti-terror officers advising them at home.
She did admit, though: “I’m devastated we’re not doing another song, because those songs shouldn’t have been about trolling and controversy.”
However, while there’s no song again this year, there might be one in 2028 (whether everyone will be happy about that or not) as the 10-year anniversary of their first - if Roxanne manages to convince Mark.
“It needs to be a sausage roll megamix," she added.
Gregory Robinson