Alexandra Burke Claims UK Number 1

11 months ago 21st Dec 20:42

X Factor winner Alexandra Burke has topped the UK Christmas singles chart with Hallelujah.

Burke beat the late Jeff Buckley to the Christmas number one,

Buckley, whose version of the same song grabbed the number 2 spot, something that last happened 51 years since in January 1957 when Tommy Steele and Guy Mitchell held the top two places with Singin' The Blues.

Burke's Hallelujah became the fastest-selling single by a female solo artist, with 576,000 copies sold.

The cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah by Buckley, who died in a drowning accident in Memphis in May 1997 aged 30, finished at number two on download sales only.

Cohen - who wrote the hit more than 20 years ago - made it a three times Hallelujah in the top 40 with a new entry at number 36.

Burke pushed 2006 X Factor winner Leona Lewis off the top after two weeks. She is at number three with her cover of Snow Patrol's Run.

The reality TV theme continued in the chart charts after comedian Peter Kay's spoof reality TV singer Geraldine entered the top 10 at number five with Once Upon A Christmas Song.

Comeback kings Take That claimed Christmas number one in the album chart with The Circus.

The album is the fastest-selling album in the UK so far this millennium, according to the Official Charts Company, and the second biggest-selling album of 2008.

Duffy's Rockferry was the year's biggest seller so far, with 1.5 million copies sold in 2008 to date.