Christmas number one betting hots up

With the UK’s Christmas number one due to be announced on the big day itself, punters are staking big sums on a range of different artists.

According to oddschecker.com, Justin Bieber – who this year’s staged the greatest comeback since Lazarus – is 4/11 to end 2015 on a high.

As for his closest rivals they include the NHS Choir (11/4), One Direction (20/1), Grace (20/1) and – believe it or not – John Williams’ Star Wars theme (33/1).

Peculiarly, X Factor winner Louisa Johnson is a distant 50/1, meaning she is unlikely to follow in the footsteps of Shayne Ward, Leona Lewis, Leon Jackson, Alexandra Burke, Matt Cardle, Sam Bailey and Ben Haenow.

And for those who enjoy a long shot, you’ll find a range of contenders at 100/1 taking in everyone from Queen, Shirley Bassey and Sparks to Taylor Swift, Little Mix and McBusted

Update – As of 23rd December, Justin Bieber was at 1/2 to top the Christmas chart while the NHS Choir wasn’t too far behind at 6/4. As for Louisa Johnson, her odds have lengthened to 66/1.