Noble England in the UK top ten

Rik Mayall has had a posthumous top ten hit with his World Cup anthem Noble England.

The comedian, who died on Monday aged 56, recorded the song before the 2010 World Cup, based on the words of Shakespeare’s famous Henry V speech.

Although it made little impact at the time, a campaign by fans to pay tribute to the star has paid off, and the song made No 7.

It outperformed other football anthems. Frank Skinner and David Baddiel’s Three Lions was a re-entry at No 27, with Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull's official song We Are One at No 29. However Omid Djalili’s song, England’s Going Out (To Do It Again), didn’t make the Top 40 despite star-studded backing.

The official Facebook page promoting the Mayall campaign welcomed the chart position. ‘Well done to EVERYONE who got involved, what an amazing result considering we had two days less than the other contenders AND we were only 610 sales from No.5,’ said a message from the organisers. ‘Give yourselves a punch in the nuts! (or punch someone else's if you haven't got any)’

Published: 15 Jun 2014