Xmas Odds

Bookies William Hill claim X-factor winner Alexandra Burke may not be climbing the Xmas music tree after all. Instead, the coveted number one could well be claimed by a previous version of the Leonard Cohen song 'Halleluja', this time sung by Jeff Buckley. And The other fly in the ointment could be none other than Peter Kay’s ‘Geraldine’.

"This is a proper old fashioned gamble, the likes of which we have not seen for many years. The song ticks all the boxes, it is a Christmas novelty song backed by one of the best loved comedians in the UK and at a time when the country needs something to laugh about. The Xmas song has to be a certainty to be the Christmas number two and dare I say it, it could do the unthinkable and beat the X-Factor," said Hill's spokesman.

So just for a moment, let's pretend we live in an X-factor-less world and read on for the top ten odds-on favourites so far, minus any of the obvious contenders…

6/4 Peter Kay (as Geraldine McQueen) - 'Once Upon A Christmas Song'