The Story of the Christmas No. 1: Marc Burrows with Janey Lee Grace

Seasonal, Music, History

Award-winning author, comedian and musician, Marc Burrows, brings an evening of comedy, music, and book chat to Aye Write in his festival debut.

Using his new book, Mistletoe & Vinyl: The Story of the Christmas No. 1, as inspiration, Marc explores the peculiarly British cultural phenomenon of the Christmas singles chart. The festive top spot was something that, before 1973, wasn’t particularly important, but has since become a cornerstone of the December news cycle. For years, it was an annual cultural moment. But has it reached the end of its life?

Marc traces the origins of the concept, from the Beatles to the Glam rock boom, Band Aid, novelty records, the X-Factor years, and the awful Sausage Roll charity singles of the 2020s. He also discusses the fascinating, weird, and unlikely stories behind some of the most beloved (and some of the most utterly loathed) songs in British musical history.