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The Wealdstone Raider has emerged as a surprise contender for this year’s Christmas number one with charity single “Got No Fans” and has overtaken One Direction, Take That and Taylor Swift in the charts.
The viral sensation, real name Gordon Hill, shot to fame on YouTube after he was caught mocking football rivals while drunk in March 2013.
The builder's song entered the Official Singles Chart at number 37 earlier this week but has now entered the top 5, according to the Official Charts Company .
The Raider’s Christmas chart bid was kick-started by a Daily Mirror campaign. “I’m just a builder who wants to make money for charity and have a bit of fun while I’m doing it,” he says in the song's video.
“Got No Fans” sees the Raider call out celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Piers Morgan and Kim Kardashian.
Profits from the track are going towards Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, Autism Concern and, naturally, Wealdstone Raiders Youth FC.
The Raider claims to have raised £3,000 for the charities by charging £2 for fans to take a photo with him. He has an agent who takes event bookings for him.
Show all 15 1 /15Past Christmas number one singles Past Christmas number one singles 2013: Sam Bailey – 'Skyscraper' This year’s X Factor winner sold 149,000 copies of her debut single 'Skyscraper', making it one of the fastest selling tracks of 2013. The Demi Lovato cover beat Pharrell Williams’ 'Happy' to claim the top spot and become the sixth Christmas number one to come out of the show’s 10 year stint. The proceeds will go to Great Ormond St Hospital and charity Together for Short Lives.
Past Christmas number one singles 2012: The Justice Collective – 'He Ain't Heavy, He’s My Brother' The Hillsborough tribute single, featuring artists including Robbie Williams and Sir Paul McCartney, raised money for the families of the 96 Liverpool fans who died in a crush at Hillsborough stadium in 1989. The cover of The Hollies’ 1969 hit sold 269,000 copies, beating X Factor winner James Arthur’s single 'Impossible'.
Past Christmas number one singles 2011: Military Wives with Gareth Malone – 'Wherever You Are' 2011's festive hit came from 100-strong choir The Military Wives, put together by Gareth Malone for the BBC Two series The Choir. 'Wherever You Are' sold 556,000 copies in the week leading up to Christmas and the lyrics were based on love poems written between the wives and their absent husbands. The Government donated VAT raised on the single to charities supporting servicemen and women.
Past Christmas number one singles 2010: Matt Cardle – 'When We Collide' X Factor winner Matt Cradle sold 439,000 copies of his debut single, despite Facebook-led campaigns to stop the talent contest’s domination of the charts. The original version of Cardle’s song – 'Many Of Horror', by Biffy Clyro – sold about 40,000 copies to secure eighth place in the chart.
Past Christmas number one singles 2009: Rage Against the Machine – 'Killing in the Name' In one of the most dramatic Christmas chart battles in recent years, Rage Against the Machine clinched the top spot after a successful Facebook campaign to prevent The X Factor single securing the Christmas number one for the fifth successive year. 'Killing in the Name' sold 500,000 downloads, 50,000 more than X factor winner Joe McElderry’s 'The Climb'.
Past Christmas number one singles 2008: Alexandra Burke – 'Hallelujah' Leonard Cohen’s track claimed the number one, number two and number 36 spots in the 2008 Christmas chart. X Factor winner Alexandra Burke secured the top spot, selling 576,000 of her 'Hallelujah' cover, while Jeff Buckley’s 2008 version came second. The original 1984 anthem just slipped into the charts at 36. It was the first time two versions of the same song had taken the top two spots since Tommy Steele and Guy Mitchell managed the feat with 'Singin' The Blues', in January 1957.
Past Christmas number one singles 2007: Leon Jackson – 'When You Believe' The then 18-year-old X Factor winner became the third contestant to achieve the coveted Christmas number one. The former Gap sales assistant, who was forced out of his home by his mother just before his X Factor audition, sold 275,000 copies of his debut single 'When You Believe'. Originally recorded by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, it was the fastest-selling single of 2007.
Past Christmas number one singles 2006: Leona Lewis – 'A Moment Like This' One of the biggest successes to come out of The X Factor, Leona Lewis started off on a high. Her debut single broke a world record after it was downloaded 50,000 times in 30 minutes and secured the top spot after selling 571,253 copies - outselling the rest of the Top 40 sales combined. It stayed in the top spot for four weeks.
Past Christmas number one singles 2005: Shayne Ward – 'That’s My Goal' The winner of the second series of The X Factor started the ball rolling for a succession of Christmas number ones from the singing competition. Shayne Ward’s debut single sold 742,180 copies after only four days on sale. In the same year, The Pogues' reissued 1987 hit, 'Fairytale of New York', claimed third place.
Past Christmas number one singles 2004: Band Aid 20 – 'Do They Know It’s Christmas?' The second reincarnation of the 1984 song 'Do They Know It’s Christmas?' included artists Bono, Daniel Bedingfield, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Sir Paul McCartney. The track was released in November, to benefit the Darfur region of Sudan, and became the biggest-selling single of 2004.
Past Christmas number one singles 2003: Michael Andrews and Gary Jules – 'Mad World' In a rather sombre turn, little-known US singer Gary Jules topped the charts with his song composed by Michael Andrews. The cover of the 1982 hit by Tears For Fears beat The Darkness’ 'Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)', which had been widely expected to give the band their first number one.
Past Christmas number one singles 2002: Girls Aloud – 'Sound of the Underground' Before The X Factor (such a time did exist) there was Popstars: The Rivals. The concept of the programme was to produce a boy band and a girl band, which would compete for the Christmas number one. Girls Aloud triumphed with their debut single 'Sound of the Underground', consigning rivals One True Voice to obscurity in the process.
Past Christmas number one singles 2001: Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman – 'Somethin’ Stupid' The starry duo claimed the top spot with their cover of Frank and Nancy Sinatra’s 1967 hit 'Somethin’ Stupid'. Taken from Robbie Williams’ album Swing When You’re Winning, the single sold 366,000 copies, making it the best-selling track of 2001.
Past Christmas number one singles 2000: Bob the Builder – 'Can We Fix It?' Perhaps one of the worst Christmas number ones of all time, this adaptation from the BBC children’s programme sold 240,000 copies in one week. Bob, voiced by Neil Morrissey, co-star of Men Behaving Badly, managed to knock US rapper Eminem off the top spot with his light-hearted tune.
Past Christmas number one singles 1999: Westlife – 'I Have a Dream”/ “Seasons in the Sun' The Irish boy band outsold festive favourite Cliff Richard’s single 'The Millennium Prayer' with their double A-side single featuring covers of the Abba song 'I Have a Dream' and Terry Jacks' 1974 number one 'Seasons in the Sun'. They become the second act to go straight to number one with their first four singles in the week they were released.
X Factor winner’s Ben Haenow is currently leading the festive chart race with his cover of “Something I Need” by OneRepublic, but the competition remains open.
The Christmas number one will be announced on BBC Radio 1’s Official Chart show with Scott Mills and Jameela Jamil from 4pm this coming Sunday.
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