Matt Terry: X Factor winner enters UK singles chart at number three

Matt Terry will be in a closely-fought contest for Christmas number one

X Factor winner Matt Terry has entered the UK singles chart at number three with When Christmas Comes Around.

The tune, which was written by Ed Sheeran, reached the top three after being available to buy and stream for five days rather than the usual seven.

Nine of the 12 previous UK X Factor winners have gone straight in at number one.

But Terry has fared better than last year's winner Louisa Johnson, who only managed to get to number nine.

Clean Bandit have held the number one spot for a sixth week with Rockabye, while One Direction star Louis Tomlinson's collaboration with Steve Aoki, Just Hold On, has landed at number two.

All three singles are now in a closely-fought competition for the Christmas number one slot.

But the bookmakers' favourite for the festive chart-topper is a tribute single to murdered Labour MP Jo Cox.

You Can't Always Get What You Want, which features Ricky Wilson of the Kaiser Chiefs, KT Tunstall, David Gray, Steve Harley of Cockney Rebel and the cross-party parliamentary band MP4, will raise money for the Jo Cox Foundation.

The government has waived VAT on the single, while Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, who wrote the song, are donating their royalties to the campaign.

Some of the singles that could be the 2016 Christmas number one

The Inspiral Carpets' 1994 indie hit Saturn 5 is also aiming for the top 10 as fans pay tribute to drummer Craig Gill, who died earlier this year.

Terry Wogan's TOGs are also hoping to send his version of the Floral Dance back into the chart, with the aim of improving on its 1978 chart placing of number 21.

Some of this week's new entries and high climbers have also set their sights on the upper reaches of the festive top 40.

Zara Larsson's I Would Like has jumped nine places to number 12 following her appearance at the BBC Music Awards on Monday, while Little Mix's performance on the X Factor finale has sent their new single Touch from number 159 to 23 in just five days.

Taylor Swift's duet with Zayn Malik, I Don't Wanna Live Forever, is a new entry at 16, while Lady Gaga's country ballad Million Reasons has made its first top 40 appearance at 39.

The Christmas charts will be unveiled at 18:00 GMT on Friday, 23 December.

Meanwhile, on this week's album chart, Michael Ball and Alfie Boe's album of duets has finally reached number one after six weeks on release.

Together, which sees the pair singing standards like When You Wish Upon a Star, has sold consistently well since November, but was kept off the top spot by Little Mix and Robbie Williams.

It has sold 96,000 copies in the past week, its highest tally so far.

"This is absolutely fantastic," said Ball. "We didn't expect this. It is just unbelievable."

With no high-profile new releases this week, the album is also likely to top the Christmas charts next Friday.

• Michael Ball and Alfie Boe Interview: "We wanted to be Wham!"

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