UK

Military wives favourite for Xmas No1

Bookies have made Gareth Malone’s Military Wives Choir firm favourite to become this year’s Christmas Number One.

Little Mix, the winners of this year's X Factor, went straight to the top last night (Sunday) with their cover of Damien Rice's Cannonball, leaving plenty of time for an upset in time for the Top of the Pops Christmas Special.

Just last week the military wives were in HMS Turbulent performing their single “Wherever You Are” in an emotional welcome home to the crew of the nuclear submarine.

The song is inspired by letters to and from their soldier husbands and is raising money for forces' charities.

William Hill have got them at 1/5 to take top spot on Christmas Day with Little Mix trailing at 9/2.

It is not the first time Sam Stevenson, the 28-year-old who is the choir's lead singer, has tried to stop the X Factor winning the festive chart race.

The rock fan played a part in the 2009 battle when she bought Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name which kept that year's winner, Joe McElderry, off the top.

She said: "I think we have a good chance of getting to number one, I don't want to be too complacent, but I don't want to be too cynical either. For us it would be the icing on the cake if we did get to number one."

The choir, who have backed by figures such as Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans, have performed at this year's Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall and at the Strictly Come Dancing semi-finals.

Audio: