one of the main contenders is sam ryder, and he's been working hard to boost the chances of his singles in the last six days, doing everything we possibly can to make this christmas miracle come true, because it's not often you find yourself in a chart race against the almighty wham, but, you know, with massive respect to those absolute legends there's always room for new music and new artists coming through and grassroots sort of attempts at putting new christmas music out there. as sam suggests, with 24 hours to go, wham's last christmas is the song to beat. # last christmas i gave you my heart #. in fact, it's been in the charts every year since 2008 — pretty soon after downloads started being counted towards the top 40. # i'll give it to someone special #. streaming is all—importa nt. wham's last christmas is at the top of dozens of playlists like this, which means any time someone asks their phone or their smart speaker to play christmas music, that's the track that comes out first, and each of those streams counts towards the charts. # santa tell me if you're really there #. ther

so sam ryder, hats off to him. to be sandwiched between wham!t a bad place — carey, what a great place to be. not a bad place at all. thank you for sharing your thoughts on that. chief executive of the official charts company, thank you forjoining us. now — how do you get rid of �*spacejunk�*? it is a growing problem — with thousands of defunct satellites, orbiting the earth — posing some obvious dangers. nasa released these pictures on friday. it's the international space station getting rid of its �*waste material�* by deliberately sending a small spacecraft — the cygnus craft you see here detaching — into a re—entry path, where it's incinerated in the earth's atmosphere. i spoke to space journalist jonathan 0 callaghan about how to dispose of rubbish in space. a lot of waste over there, human waste and other things they can't get rid of, so they pack it into this spacecraft. a few of these go up every so often, that gets seorbited from the space station, heads back to the atmosphere and burns up in the atmosphere on reentry. there are a coupl

sam ryder, the pogues, or wham — who gets your vote for the christmas number one?battle this year to take the top spot in the charts, and the result has been revealed in the last hour. our music correspondent mark savage reports on the festive first place. for the first time in the history of this song, last christmas is your official christmas number one today! # last christmas i gave you my heart but the very next day you gave it away... 13 million. that's how many times last christmas was streamed over the last seven days. and that is why it is christmas number one, for the first time since it was released 39 years ago.- released 39 years ago. i am delighted- _ released 39 years ago. i am delighted. n _ released 39 years ago. i am delighted. it has _ released 39 years ago. i am delighted. it has been - released 39 years ago. i am delighted. it has been a - released 39 years ago. i am | delighted. it has been a long released 39 years ago. t:n delighted. it has been a long wait in many respects but it was a song george wrote with the intention of being a number on

sam ryder, the pogues, or wham! who gets your vote for the christmas number one?his afternoon. spoiler alert — if you've been playing whameggedon, you may as well give up now. our music reporter mark savage reports on the festive first place. for the first time in the history of this song, last christmas is your official christmas number one today! # last christmas i gave you my heart # but the very next day, you gave it away... 13 million — that's how many times last christmas was streamed over the last seven days. and that is why it is christmas number one, for the first time since it was released 39 years ago. i am delighted. it has been a long wait in many respects but it was a song george wrote with the intention of being a number one, and to finally achieve that goal, it is humbling. top of the pile is a great place to be. what do you think george would make of it going to christmas number one after all this time? he would be absolutely over the man. he wouldn't have cared for the amount of time it took to get there but better late than never. wham's classic

mariah carey, sam ryder and wham! are all battling for this year's christmas number one.art is revealed on friday. and primark has apologised after one of its employees was told she couldn't wear an irish printed language christmas jumper. time now to leave you with ten seconds of flying deer. these are not santa's reindeer but they are real deer, which were being airlifted for a health check in the us state of utah. you're all caught up, cya later! hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm gavin ramjaun... a fresh set of proposals for a new 64—club european super league have been dismissed by uefa. ajax crash out of the dutch cup to an amateur side, we'll bring you a round up of the latest action. and we'll have more on boxing's day of reckoning — with dubois—miller among the big—time heavyweight bouts in saudi arabia this weekend. hello there, and welcome along to the programme. fresh proposals for a new european super league of 64 clubs have been dismissed by uefa. europe's highest court ruled on thursday that football authorities were wrong to block controversial plans for

mariah carey, sam ryder and wham! are all battling for this year's christmas number one.t before the christmas chart is revealed on friday. time now to leave you with ten seconds of flying deer. these are not santa's reindeer but they are real deer, which were being airlifted for a health check in the us state of utah. you're all caught up, cya later! travelling can be so much more than a holiday. it’s travelling can be so much more than a holiday.— than a holiday. it's about divin: than a holiday. it's about diving head _ than a holiday. it's about diving head first - than a holiday. it's about diving head first into - than a holiday. it's about| diving head first into new experiences.— diving head first into new experiences. and seeing the world with — experiences. and seeing the world with fresh _ experiences. and seeing the world with fresh eyes. - experiences. and seeing the | world with fresh eyes. where each destination _ world with fresh eyes. where each destination tells - world with fresh eyes. where each destination tells a - world with fresh eyes. where l each

sam ryder is one of those hoping to get a christmas number one. who tested the pioneering impotence drug back in the 90s. we'll speak to phaldut sharma, who plays one of them, at ten to nine. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. hello, good morning from bbc london, i'm victoria hollins. calls to the london ambulance service have reached the same levels as seen during the pandemic with up to 7,000 emergency calls a day. that compares to 5,500 seen on a typically busy day. the trust has now moved to the highest level of escalation in an effort to tackle the rise in demand and is asking people to try and look after themselves during the festive season. a really busy time of year, december. but we have seen over the last few weeks an increase in viral illness, seasonalflu, which is really driving up our call rate, which is why it's really important that londoners only use us in an emergency. the respiratory illness that's around is is proving a challenge for us. the homeless charity crisis is opening three london hotels later ex

wham's classic fended off a challenge from eurovision star sam ryder, whose song, you're christmas to mariah carey came third. after shane macgowan�*s death last month, there had been a campaign to get the pogues' fairytale of new york to number one, but in a busy week, it had to make do with sixth place. christmas is the peak sales period for the music industry, which is why you see records like this back on the shelves and back in the charts every december, and for the artists, it's still an honour to be christmas number one. it is the best thing. i keep saying to people, this is my version of the world cup final, it's my christmas day, it's that big for us here on the official chart, the christmas number one. it doesn't get bigger than this. outside of the singles race, the rolling stones top the albums chart with hackney diamonds, a late birthday present for guitarist keith richards, who turned 80 on monday. mark savage, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's louise lear. what are the chances of a white christmas, louise? i what are the chances of a white christmas, loui

the closest the uk has come to the title in recent years is with sam ryder, who took second place in voters? we'll find out in malmo in may. mark savage, bbc news. that's it from me. i will be back with the headlines in a couple of minutes' time with the latest updates from the situation in israel and gaza and plenty more on the website. do download the bbc news app website. do download the bbc news app as well. i am lewis vonjones. this is bbc news. bye—bye. today's weather is a repeat performance of what we saw yesterday for many, but towards the south—east of england, there is a lot more blue sky and sunshine such as here in canterbury in kent. for dumfries and galloway, they are seeing that heavy rain from scotland slipped further southwards, turning wet here for the rest of the afternoon. we still have this very mild bead of air coming in on a brisk south—westerly wind, particularly blustery across north—east england, south—east scotland and towards irish sea coasts, with this constant stream of rain feeding into western areas of scotland. the rainfall totals will start to rack

and i think sam ryder is that person to do it, i really do. >> what's this song called? his song is called christmas to me. >> dawn , and i'm going to buy it >> dawn, and i'm going to buy it for for christmas. for you for christmas. >> lovely. thank very much. yeah >> look, there we go. >> look, there we go. >> is it catchy? is it? >> is it catchy? is it? >> it is really catchy. you're going to sing along, tom. you're going to sing along, tom. you're going to sing along, tom. you're going to have some dance moves. >> complaining, >> we were just complaining, saying that there haven't been any christmas songs. any good new christmas songs. all the christmas songs that all of the christmas songs that we from the 1990s. we refer to are from the 1990s. uh could this be the one to break mould? break the mould? >> it really is. and that's exactly what i think. think, exactly what i think. i think, yes, you've got those classic songs. around songs. you're walking around tesco's you're like, yeah, tesco's and you're like, yeah, brilliant. one, brillia

it was up against the likes of sam ryder and mariah carey for the top spot.but the very next day you gave it away. # bbc radio 6journalist georgie rogersjoins us now. morning to you. i can't believe, and i think lots of people are with me on this, that it hasn't been number one before. this is a big moment, isn't it? it one before. this is a big moment, isn't it? . ., . one before. this is a big moment, isn't it? , ., , ., isn't it? it is a big moment, 39 ears, isn't it? it is a big moment, 39 years. crazy — isn't it? it is a big moment, 39 years. crazy it _ isn't it? it is a big moment, 39 years, crazy it hasn't _ isn't it? it is a big moment, 39 years, crazy it hasn't been. it i isn't it? it is a big moment, 39 i years, crazy it hasn't been. it did get its first number one in 2021 but it happened after christmas on the new year's day chart. it has our�*s been the bridesmaid and never the blight and this time it is finally the bride. == blight and this time it is finally the bride. . blight and this time it is finally the bride. , . ., the bride. -- never th

sam ryder.ous couple and my daughter's god fathers. i wanted to bring home and to show this thing and not just be like, oh, she's this person who has access for people. that's why i called it home for christmas. it means something. it's rooted in something. >> yes, yes. let's take a look. ready? ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ >> thank you! merry christmas, my friends! >> wow. >> you said you grew up like that. did you take formal training? is there formal training? >> no, i have not had any singing lessons. >> no? >> the thing is, when you have an opera singer for a mother and opera singing grandparents and you sit in a place like that. that's why it had to be there. you learn placement, you know? >> i love that. >> that's why it needed to be there. i have no delusions of grandiur of all the magnificent people who do christmas specials. i thought, i have to make it my own. i come from a theater world. that's why it had to be with theater

. >> well, good morning thank you waking up with us ryder when sam reinhart, i'm will tran in for james fletcher. this clock is ticking. wasn't raining on the way here, but now it's coming. we know it's on the way. john lot of folks are already in ready getting their sandbags. good morning. it's good to see that being prepared for the rainfall. no matter how big it is, is always very helpful. and we do have rainfall later on this morning into the middle of the day today. >> so just be ready for it. get those rain jackets out. those umbrellas, despite the fact it's not raining right now. you look outside right now from the east bay hills skies are mostly cloudy, but most importantly, they are still dry. we zoom out on radar a little bit. there's that line of showers sitting immediately to the north and west of us right now. it's up in mendocino and humboldt counties but will drift into northern sonoma county likely over the next hour or so. and then after that to the rest of the bay area. as for winds, winds will be picking up today, 30 to 40 miles per hour. plus guests and on the coastl

sam ryder's going to be performing, so i'm going to tune him okay. he's tune in just for him okay.easure. so we have i it's quite a good gig i think it's quite a good gig actually. when come and actually. when you come on and just christmas special, just do the christmas special, not all the training for the not do all the training for the usual up , it's not do all the training for the usual up, it's quite nice usual turn up, it's quite nice for we've got six for yourself. so we've got six celebrities that will be taking place dawns. we've got sally nugent bbc breakfast, dan nugent from bbc breakfast, dan snow, who's an author , jamie snow, who's an author, jamie borthwick from eastenders, tilly armati from waterloo road, danny cipriani, the rugby player and keisha from the sugababes. so tune in christmas day with the quality street. i'm sure it will be good entertainment. yeah, that sounds pretty good and obviously the final strictly come dancing is tonight, isn't it ? it? >> i haven't been paying that much it. oh, dawn, much attention to it. oh, dawn, you need to. >> this like t

the closest the uk has come to the title in recent years is with sam ryder who took second place in 2022s so nice- _ you. peace. i is a what a nice guy. he is so nice. he _ you. peace. i is a what a nice guy. he is so nice. he gives— you. peace. i is a what a nice guy. he is so nice. he gives the - you. peace. i is a what a nice guy. he is so nice. he gives the best i he is so nice. he gives the best huas. i he is so nice. he gives the best hugs- i bet- _ he is so nice. he gives the best hugs. i bet. looks— he is so nice. he gives the best hugs. i bet. looks like - he is so nice. he gives the best hugs. i bet. looks like smells. hugs. i bet. looks like smells really good as well. like, his hair. no comment. i really good as well. like, his hair. no comment-— really good as well. like, his hair. no comment. ., , ., , , no comment. i am sure he does. # is a desired--- — no comment. i am sure he does. # is a desired- -- he _ no comment. i am sure he does. # is a desired... he is _ no comment. i am sure he does. # is a desired... he is definitely _ no comment. i am sure he does. # is a desir

. >> well, good morning thank you waking up with us ryder when sam reinhart, i'm will tran in for jamestcher. this clock is ticking. wasn't raining on the way here, but now it's coming. we know it's on the way. john lot of folks are already in ready getting their sandbags. good morning. it's good to see that being prepared for the rainfall. no matter how big it is, is always very helpful. and we do have rainfall later on this morning into the middle of the day today. >> so just be ready for it. get those rain jackets out. those umbrellas, despite the fact it's not raining right now. you look outside