Malone’s military wives tipped for Christmas No 1

TV choirmaster Gareth Malone has become a hot tip for the Christmas number one with bookies slashing his odds to make him second favourite.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Nov 2011, 06:00 BST

The BBC2 presenter is now the closest contender to take the prized festive top spot behind the X Factor winner, according to William Hill.

He is to release a single with a choir of military wives after TV viewers were gripped by his latest quest to get their singing skills into shape.

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Radio 2’s Chris Evans has already championed the track, Wherever You Are, and encouraged listeners to ensure it has a chance of becoming a number one.

Viewers saw the finale of the series The Choir: Military Wives on Tuesday as the women performed at the Royal Albert Hall on Remembrance Sunday.

William Hill now puts them 7/2 second favourites for the Christmas Number One. Hill’s spokesman Rupert Adams said: “This is a fantastic move in the market and they have a real chance of beating the X Factor.”

The as-yet-unknown winner of this year’s X Factor is 2-5 favourite.

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Other strongly fancied artists to take the festive number one include Nirvana with Smells Like Teen Spirit and Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber’s All I Want For Christmas Is You. Both tracks are ranked 7-1.

The BBC series has become a wide success, winning a BAFTA, a Royal Television Society Award, and a Broadcast award.