Bookmakers are accusing Simon Cowell of ruining Christmas as they revealed that they may not take bets on next year’s festive number one.

Since The X Factor started producing singles each December, no other artist stands a chance of scooping the top spot of the year. It definitely makes Christmas Top Of The Pops a little less exciting.

Rupert Adams, a Williams Hill spokesman, told The Telegraph: “The Christmas number one has been the most popular festive flutter for 30 years but we will probably not bet on it next year as it is an X Factor benefit.”

Gennaro Castaldo, of HMV, added: “It’s almost impossible to be among the best sellers at Christmas these days without either being a product of the X Factor or going on the show to promote your album.

”It gives you access to a huge family audience and we see an instant impact on sales as soon as an artist goes on.”

Noddy Holder who penned the Christmas classic Merry Xmas Everybody told The Sun:

“There’s no excitement there. There’s no competition there. Everybody used to love thinking about what was going to be the Christmas No1.

“Now they know it’s going to be the X Factor winner. If Merry Xmas Everybody came out now, it might get to No2.

“X Factor is great television, but musically it means nothing to me.

“It’s all glorified karaoke. Middle of the road pap.

“Some of them are good singers, but you’ve got to have more than that. Why are these kids, like Leona Lewis, not writing their own songs? Where are the new songwriters?

“It is the first time in the history of pop music where things have become static and stale, with everything sounding and looking alike.

“And I can’t see that changing if we stick in this bubble of reality TV and its command over the charts.”

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