Single fails to make the top 100

Twenty-one years ago, Leigh Francis had a festive No 4 with the Bo’ Selecta! tie-in Proper Crimbo.

But now it seems the Keith Lemon creator’s popularity has waned as his latest single, Christmas Pigs, failed to reach the top 100. 

And even on the the downloads chart, it only managed to reach No 87, 

That’s despite a raft of celebrity pals lending their support, with Robbie Williamsm Paloma Faith, Paddy McGuinness, Alison Hammond, Liv Tyler, Josie Gibson, Emily Atack, Amanda Holden, The Hoosiers, CBBC puppet Hacker T Dog and Gremlins star Zach Galligan taking part in the single and the video.

When news of the single broke earlier this month, Francis said: 't’s not about chart positions. I just want people to buy the song to raise some money.’

But the sluggish sales does mean fewer receipts for the charity Children With Cancer UK.

Francis admitted that Christmas Pigs took him just half an hour to write on a train journey and that ‘I’m not a pop star or a musician, so I didn’t really care about the quality’.

Meanwhile, the satirical song Freezing This Christmas by Sir Starmer & Granny Harmers reached No 37. It had been the subject of outrage in the right-wing press as the BBC had not played the track on radio, which they took as evidence of left-wing bias. 

Published: 21 Dec 2024