X Factor winner Ben Haenow has won the race for the Christmas number one, the Official Charts Company has announced.
The former van driver sold 214,000 copies of his single, Something I Need, originally recorded by US pop band OneRepublic.
His nearest rivals were Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, whose song Uptown Funk dropped one place to number two.
“It’s an incredible end to my year,” Haenow said. “I’m absolutely shocked, I can’t believe it.”
“I’m gonna go and have a few good drinks with my mates – definitely more than a few good drinks – to celebrate.”
The top-selling album in the run-up to Christmas was Ed Sheeran’s X, which shifted more than 214,000 copies last week – the most it has ever sold in a seven-day period.
The Wealdstone Raider’s assault on the pop chart was orchestrated by the Daily Mirror
X – pronounced multiply – was already the UK’s biggest-selling album of the year, excluding compilations.
The singles chart also saw a high entry for novelty act The Wealdstone Raider.
The 48-year-old, whose real name is Gordon Hill, became famous when he was discreetly recorded at a football match, pint in hand, shouting “you’ve got no fans” to opponents of his football club, Wealdstone FC.
After being uploaded to YouTube, the video went viral, amassing more than eight million views.
His single, also called Got No Fans, is raising money for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, Autism Concern and, naturally, Wealdstone Raiders Youth FC.
It entered the chart at number five.
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Source:: BBC Entertainment
