List of Christmas number one music downloads (UK)

In the United Kingdom, Christmas number one downloads are the singles and albums that are at the top of the UK Official Download Chart on Christmas Day. , seven different albums and seven different singles have become Christmas number ones. The UK Album Chart was first published in 2004. The first single to be Christmas number-one was the "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid 20, a cover version of the Band Aid track from twenty years earlier. The download charts and overall singles charts have matched the number one and number two songs every year since 2008; the two charts also had the same song at number one in 2004.

Two winners of British TV series The X Factor have topped the singles download chart at Christmas time: Alexandra Burke and Matt Cardle. This is in CONTRAST to the overall Christmas number-one charts, where The X Factor contestants reached the top of the charts five times in six years. In 2005 and 2006, the number two songs on the singles charts those years (both of which had finished behind X Factor winners) finished at the top of the download charts.

Several well-known singles and albums did not become Christmas download number ones, and had instead charted at number two by Christmas Day. Of the seven singles that have been Christmas number two, four of them either reached number-one on the UK Official Download Chart in the run-up to Christmas, or shortly after.

Number-one singles

Take That were one of the first acts to have a Christmas number one download single, with their track "Patience".
Key
– Silver certification (200,000 units)
– Gold certification (400,000 units)
◯ – Platinum certification (600,000 units)

Year

Artist

Single

Record label

Reached
number one

Weeks at
number one

Certification{{#tag:ref|The certifications are those given by the British Phonographic Industry.|group=N|name=A}}

Reference

2004

Band Aid 20

"Do They Know It's Christmas"

Universal

4

2× ◯

2005

Nizlopi

"JCB"

FDM

3

2006

Take That

"Patience"

Universal

6

2007

Mariah Carey

"All I Want for Christmas Is You"

Sony BMG

1

2008

Alexandra Burke

"Hallelujah"

Sony BMG

3

2009

Rage Against the Machine

"[...] in the Name"

Sony BMG

2

None

2010

Matt Cardle

"When We Collide"

Sony BMG

2

None

Runners-up

U2 had the first Christmas number two single download with "Vertigo".

Year

Artist

Single

Record label

Reached
number one?

Certification

Reference

2004

U2

"Vertigo"

Universal

Yes

None

2005

Madonna

"Hung Up"

Warner

Yes

None

2006

Gwen Stefani

"Wind It Up"

Universal

No

None

2007

Leona Lewis

"Bleeding Love"

Sony BMG

Yes

2008

Jeff Buckley

"Hallelujah"

Sony BMG

No

None

2009

Joe McElderry

"The Climb"

Sony BMG

No

2010

Rihanna featuring Drake

"What's My Name?"

Universal

Yes

Number-one albums

Rihanna had the 2010 Christmas number one album download.
Key
– Silver certification (60,000 units)
– Gold certification (100,000 units)
◯ – Platinum certification (300,000 units)

Year

Artist

Album

Record label

Reached
number one

Weeks at
number one?

Certification

Reference

2004

Information missing

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Rage Against the Machine

Rage Against the Machine

Sony BMG

1

2010

Rihanna

Loud

Universal

4

4× ◯

Runners-up

Year

Artist

Album

Record label

Reached
number one?

Certification

Reference

2004

Information missing

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Various artists

Christmas Hits – 80 Festive Favourites

Sony BMG

Yes

None

2010

Various artists

Now That's What I Call Xmas

EMI/Universal

Yes

None

See also

  • List of Christmas hit singles (UK)
  • List of Christmas number one albums (UK)
  • List of Christmas number one singles (UK)