Jamie Miller completes a month at the top of the singles chart. James Blunt wins a tight race at the top of the albums chart.

Once again Jamie Miller finishes the week with a big lead at the top of the singles chart. Babydoll has now spent four weeks at number one, the second longest running number one single of the year, albeit a very long way behind the leader.

Ashe’s Stop The Wedding climbs to number two. Tate McRae’s Housewife (who clearly didn’t stop the wedding is at three. Sienna Spiro’s great Expectation is at number four, one place ahead of Sombr’s My Body Isn’t Ready which climbs four places.

With six weeks to go until the day itself (which will see the publication of the Christmas chart this year) festive songs have started their onslaught on the top forty. Leading the way, for now at least, is a new song. It has become commonplace to point to the lack of big names releasing Christmas songs, thereby potentially adding to the dominance of old songs. This year a number of artists are giving it a go, including Olivia Rodrigo. Her effort, Take Me Home (4 Christmas) - ugh at that figure 4 - is at number eight. It is her fifth top ten single of the year.

As for the old songs, Wham’s Last Christmas, at number 22, already has a healthy lead over Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You which is at number 36. Michael will make another appearance later.

The departure of all the Hallowe’en-themed songs, with the exception of Tame Impala’s Dracula, might have been thought to pave the way for several new entries. Alas not. We have a magnificent three, including Olivia Rodrigo.

It doesn’t take long to detect that Kingfishr, the band responsible for the rather lovely The Sun Will Never Settle are from Ireland. They join the list of bands whose singer uses his natural accent rather than a standard mid-Atlantic one. Any other accent wouldn’t really suit the song at all (until someone proves me wrong). The band make their UK chart debut at number 29.

The shop which launches an expensive advertising campaign each year in the hope that they will get a lot of free publicity have done it again this year. The song for the advert is by someone who spent 23 weeks at number one this year,Sam Fender. The shop concerned can’t always get what it wants (including when some people refuse to name them). Fender’s version of the Rolling Stones song You Can’t Always get What You Want is at number 39.

Grace’s Not Over Yet was originally released in 1993 but was not a hit until 1995 when it reached number six. Now it’s back, at number 37. Indie band Klaxons took the song to number thirteen in 2007.

While there was nothing remotely resembling a race for the top spot in the singles chart, the top of the albums chart was more interesting.

Worthing band Royal Blood led the way in the midweek updates with their fifth album Dead Company. However, their lead of 3.000 “sales” on Monday had been cut to just 365 by Wednesday. This left Royal Blood losing their unblemished record with albums. All four previous releases had topped the chart.

Royal Blood’s opponent was the man born James Blount but who dropped the O before launching his music career. Blunt made his name when his song You’re Beautiful climbed to number one and stayed there for five weeks in 2006. The host album, Back To Bedlam became a hit as a result of the success of the song. Having initially failed to reach the top forty it eventually spent ten weeks at number one.

James Blunt’s biggest problem was that a lot of people really disliked him. A combination of his fairly whiny voice and the fact that he is terribly posh turned a lot of people against him. When his popularity as a singer started to wane, he built up a strong following on social media by indulging in self-deprecatory humour. That, presumably, was one reason why he agreed to appear on a popular television programme. It is safe to assume that the raised profile at the time he just happened to have a new album out was another attraction.

As demonstrated above, James Blunt seemed to have the momentum behind him, and so it has proved. Airplane Mode lands at the top of the chart to give him a third number one album, the first for nearly two decades. He has promised to change his name to Ryan Air if he made it to number one. Will he be a man of his word?

James Blunt’s success does mean that Royal Blood lose their perfect record as Dead Company finishes at number two.

This week’s top two albums lead a total of twelve new entries in the top forty.

Two British rappers return to the albums chart after a long absence. Skepta’s debut album, bizarrely called Greatest Hits, failed to reach the chart.  His second release did a little better, falling just short of the top 100. Album number three, though, made the top twenty and the next two releases went into the top ten. He now gets a third consecutive top ten album with The Fork And The Knife, his first album for seven-and-a-half years. It is at number four.

While Skepta is a Tottenham supporter, Tinie Tempah supports local rivals Arsenal. Arsenal are currently well ahead of Tottenham in the table  but Skepta is ahead in the chart. Tinie Tempah is at number 20 with The Night’s Not Dead. It is his first album since 2017 and the first of his four albums not to reach the top ten.

In 1986, the year after they demonstrated their excellence as a live act at Live Aid, Queen became the first western act to play in Communist Eastern Europe when they staged a concert in Budapest. It was to be the last time a concert featuring Freddie Mercury was filmed. That film has now been used to create a live album, entitled Budapest.

The album does not contain a cover of George Ezra’s Budapest, largely because it was recorded seven years before he was born. It would be good to hear something new from George Ezra, even if it is only to erase the memory of Green Green Grass. It is a new entry at number 21.

On Christmas Day 2016 George Michael died at the age of just 53. It came at the end of a year in which the music world had already lost David Bowie and Prince. The upcoming tenth anniversary is as good a time as any for his record company to have released a live album, The Faith Tour, recorded in Paris in 1988.  As well as Michael’s own songs it also includes covers of Play That Funky Music and the dreadful Lady Marmalade. The album is at number seven.

Steven Wilson gets his fifth consecutive top ten album as Requiem For A Village lands at number six. His former band Porcupine tree only reached the top ten with their final album.

When Kings Of Leon’s 2024 album Can We Please Have Fun entered at number two, it brought an end to a run of six number ones. They now lose their unbroken run of nine top three albums as O My Beloved enters at number five.

Rex Orange County (not his real name and he is not from California) enters at number eighteen with Dream Fatigue. Bryan Adams is at number 24 with How’s It Goin’. It is his first studio album to miss the top twenty since Cuts Like A Knife in 1986. Ah, well. Never mind.

Passenger is at number 27 with Wild Love. Scottish folk-rock band Skerryvore are at 31 with Beautiful Mistakes and siblings Johnny and Lillie Flynn are at 39 with Beam Cottage.