Top of the Pops, 12th December 2024

Here we are at the last Top Of The Pops of the year and the chart is pretty much snowed in now - only the Wicked soundtrack, Chrystal, and the laudable anomaly of Gracie Abrams at number 1 are not in the festive category.

So, we've got oldies from Wham! and Brenda Lee, newies from Tom Grennan and Laufey, and a new version of an oldie from Mariah with full military support. Merry Christmas!

Debuts: Laufey

Chrystal - The Days

Up 12 to number 38

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo - What Is This Feeling

Up 1 to number 16

Wham! - Last Christmas

Up 6 to number 2

Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

Up 14 to number 6

Tom Grennan - It Can't Be Christmas

Up 24 to number 25

Laufey - Winter Wonderland

Up 31 to number 24

Mariah Carey ft. the First Battalion Scots Guards Pipes and Drums - All I Want For Christmas Is You

Up 5 to number 5

Gracie Abrams - That's So True

Fifth week at number 1

PRESENTERS: Matt Edmonson dressed as Santa and Greg James dressed as an elf

Top of the Pops, 14th December 2023

We're almost full Christmas this week, so the last Top of the Pops before Christmas looks more like TOTP2, with archive performances from the likes of Brenda Lee and Bobby Helms making up the bulk of the show. King Ed Sheeran, Queen Mariah Carey and (with a non-festive hit!) Taylor Swift do come into the studio, though - three pretty big names I think you'll agree.

Debuts: None

Ed Sheeran - Merry Christmas

Up 10 to number 7

Taylor Swift - You're Losing Me

Highest New Entry - In at number 20

Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock

Up 11 to number 9

The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale of New York

Up 14 to number 4

Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

Up 8 to number 6

Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone

Up 15 to number 10

Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You

Up 4 to number 2

Wham! - Last Christmas

Up 4 to number 1

PRESENTERS: Olly Murs dressed as Father Christmas and Greg James dressed as an elf

Top of the Pops, 7th December 2023

Michael Buble isn't wrong - it is indeed beginning to look a lot like Christmas, at least in the singles chart. Only Jack Harlow, at the very top of the tree, valiantly sings about something other than presents, elves, warm feelings, tinsel and such.

Apart from Wham! in the From The Vault slot, Top of the Pops brings you a selection of the more relatively contemporary Christmas hits, including new-for-this-year tracks from Jorja Smith and Sam Ryder alongside modern classics from Kelly Clarkson, Sia and friend of the show Ariana Grande.

Debuts: None

Michael Buble - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Up 21 to number 16

Sam Ryder - You're Christmas To Me

Up 27 to number 23

Sia - Snowman

Up 27 to number 40

Kelly Clarkson - Underneath The Tree

Up 22 to number 27

Jorja Smith - Stay Another Day

Up 37 to number 38

From The Vault: Wham! - Last Christmas

Up 9 to number 5

Ariana Grande - Santa Tell Me

Up 16 to number 22

Jack Harlow - Lovin On Me

Third week at number 1

PRESENTER: Ed Sheeran in a disguise, pretending it isn't him

Top of the Pops, 22nd December 2022

This close to Christmas, it's not that easy to find charting acts that are still extant. So thanks to Leona Lewis and Ariana Grande for dropping by for their annual festive performances. Earlier, it's a bit of a grime extravaganza as Headie One, Bugzy Malone and the Sidemen are clearly soundtracking their fair share of Christmas parties. And well done to SZA for three new entries this week, none of them obviously related to Christmas.

Wham! deservedly take over the holly-and-mistletoe crown from Mariah Carey.

Debuts: The Sidemen

SZA - Kill Bill / Nobody Gets Me

Highest New Entry - In at number 15 / In at number 27

Headie One - 50S

In at number 48

Bugzy Malone ft Teedee - Out Of Nowhere

Up 1 to number 27

Sidemen - Christmas Drillings

Up 17 to number 41

Ariana Grande - Santa Tell Me

Up 2 to number 14

From The Vault: Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

Up 1 to number 5

Leona Lewis - One More Sleep

Up 3 to number 31

Wham! - Last Christmas

Up 2 to number 1

PRESENTERS: Greg James dressed as Santa and Matt Edmondson dressed as an elf

Top of the Pops, 8th December 2022

As Christmas draws nearer, the show starts to split into two halves. In the current music section there's another new song from Stormzy, plus catch-ups with the big hits from Meghan Trainor and Venbee and Goddard. Then in the festive fun part of the show we've got the soidisant Mr Christmas Michael Buble and a fresher offering from friend of the show Lizzo, as well as the old reliable from Wham!

Taylor Swift soars swanlike, unruffled above the fray.

Debuts: None

Joel Corry ft. Tom Grennan - Lionheart (Fearless)

Up 5 to number 22

Stormzy - Firebabe / This Is What I Mean

Up 15 to number 11 / Highest New Entry - In at number 32

Meghan Trainor - Made You Look

Up 1 to number 2

Venbee and Goddard - Messy In Heaven

Up 2 to number 3

From The Vault: Wham! - Last Christmas

Up 14 to number 9

Michael Buble - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas / Holly Jolly Christmas

Up 29 to number 20 / Back in at number 60

Lizzo - Someday At Christmas

In at number 52

Taylor Swift - Anti-Hero

Sixth week at number 1

PRESENTER: Kimberley Walsh

Top of the Pops, 7th January 2021

It's a strange chart this week, as many Christmas faves get one last kick up the chart even as the pine-scented magic fades, while long runners from last year rub shoulders with hopefuls for 2021. Amid all that, Asian Dub Foundation and Stewart Lee are an entirely unexpected presence.

The glorious and ludicrously belated number 1 from Wham! aside, the editorial decision is to concentrate on non-Christmas material here, so there's room for friends of the show Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa, alongside bright young things CJ, Shane Codd and Kid Laroi. All this and the return of Ed Sheeran.

Debuts: Shane Codd, Stewart Lee, Asian Dub Foundation (seemingly)

Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa - Prisoner

Up 7 to number 28

Ed Sheeran - Afterglow

Up 17 to number 13

Shane Codd - Get Out Of My Head

Up 16 to number 22

Asian Dub Foundation ft. Stewart Lee - Comin' Over Here

Highest New Entry - In at number 65

CJ - Whoopty

Up 8 to number 14

Kid Laroi - Without You

Up 5 to number 26

Little Mix - Sweet Melody / No Time For Tears

Up 11 to number 9 / Up 12 to number 62

From The Vault: Wham! - Last Christmas

Up 2 to number 1

PRESENTER: Ross Kemp

Top of the Pops, 12th December 2019

It's a big week for chart climbers. Not only do we have the annual Christmas song invasion, but returning friend of the show The Weeknd leapfrogs all of them, and Ellie Goulding has been pretty nifty too.

Christmas is represented by an old performance from Wham! and an in-person appearance by Ariana Grande. And with many of the acts climbing the chart being from the 70s, Trevor Daniel is able to sneak himself an invitation from number 40.

Debuts: Trevor Daniel

Ariana Grande - Santa Tell Me

Back in at number 33

The Weeknd - Heartless

High Climber - Up 54 to number 10

Trevor Daniel - Falling

Up 6 to number 40

Endor - Pump It Up

Up 1 to number 20

Maroon 5 - Memories

Up 1 to number 7

From The Vault: Wham! - Last Christmas

Up 30 to number 43

Ellie Goulding - River

Up 43 to number 14

Tones & I - Dance Monkey

Tenth week at number 1

PRESENTERS: Dannii Minogue and JB Gill

Top of the Pops, 13th December 2018

The Christmas factor ramps up here, with bids for Christmas number 1 from Mark Ronson and Dalton Castle and even immovable chart colossus Ariana Grande mixing in a bit of Christmas with her performance.

But amid festive fun from Wham! and James Arthur there's also a surprisingly strong showing from the new Meek Mill album, and Ava Max's surprising rise continues. Plus friends of the show Clean Bandit finally get high enough with the very unseasonal Baby to come and perform it. Would you believe this is Marina and the Diamonds's Top of the Pops debut?

Debuts: Marina and the Diamonds, Dalton Harris, Meek Mill

Mark Ronson ft. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

In at number 10

Clean Bandit ft. Marina and the Diamonds - Baby

Up 1 to number 25

Dalton Harris ft. James Arthur - The Power Of Love

Highest New Entry - In at number 4

James Arthur and Anne-Marie - Rewrite The Stars

Up 9 to number 8

From The Vault: Wham! - Last Christmas

High Climber - Up 38 to number 14

Meek Mill - Going Bad / What's Free

In at number 17 / In at number 55

Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho

Up 4 to number 2

Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next / Santa Tell Me

Fifth week at number 1 / Back in at number 35

PRESENTER: JB Gill

Top of the Pops, 7th December 2017

Camila's still number 1 but there's plenty new to enjoy. For one thing, Noel Gallagher makes his solo TOTP debut as Holy Mountain debuts just high enough to make the cut. The other new entry is James Arthur's Naked, an enduring image, and we have Big Shaq reaching a new chart peak.

Not only that, but Shaq joins friends of the show Dua Lipa and Clean Bandit for a unique all-star interpretation of I Miss You. You won't find that anywhere else.

Debuts: Noel Gallagher (as solo).

Dua Lipa - New Rules

Up 4 to number 21

Big Shaq - Man's Not Hot

Up 1 to number 5

James Arthur - Naked

Highest New Entry - In at number 11

MK - 17

Up 6 to number 10

Noel Gallagher - Holy Mountain

In at number 31

From The Vault: Wham! - Last Christmas

Back in at number 29

Clean Bandit ft. Dua Lipa and Big Shaq - I Miss You

Up 5 to number 6

Camila Cabello - Havana

Fifth week at number 1

PRESENTER: Duffy

Top of the Pops, 15th December 2016

The Christmas invasion has set in, so there is hot (or cold) competition for the From The Vault slot this week. Main billing is given to the Pogues but there's also room for clips of Wham!, Shakin' Stevens, Wizzard and others. A secondary effect of all these older songs climbing the chart is that we have to look a little lower down for current acts to invite, meaning that Charli XCX, John Legend and (wow!) Adele return to the show with tracks that have been in the lower part of the chart for a few weeks or longer.

Sean Paul is back with a rare lead artist credit, bringing Brits Critics' Choice nominee and burgeoning friend of the show Dua Lipa along with him. And then - why not? - the two of them stay on for another exclusive interpretation of Clean Bandit's now five-week number 1.

Debuts: Lil Yachty, Starley.

Zara Larsson - I Would Like

Up 33 to number 21

Charli XCX ft. Lil Yachty - After The Afterparty

Up 7 to number 34

John Legend - Love Me Now

Up 3 to number 30

Starley - Call On Me

Up 13 to number 45

Adele - Water Under The Bridge

Up 12 to number 49

From The Vault: Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl - Fairy Tale Of New York plus Xmas faves from Wham!, Shakin' Stevens, Wizzard, Band Aid and Chris Rea

High Climber - Up 50 to number 16 / Back in at numbers 19, 28, 37, 41 and 46

Sean Paul and Dua Lipa - No Lie / Blow Your Mind

Up 4 to number 48 / Up 5 to number 67

Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul and Dua Lipa - Rockabye

Fifth week at number 1

PRESENTERS: Olly Murs dressed as Father Christmas and Nick Grimshaw dressed as an elf