However, whoever wins X Factor will also have face challengers in the form of Nirvana and The Only Way Is Essex stars, if the bookies are to be believed.
The yet-to-be-decided victor of the ITV1 talent show is favourite – as in most years – but bookmakers William Hill has seen a rush of bets which have cut the odds of challengers considerably.
The firm slashed the price for The Wombles, who proved a big hit at Glastonbury, to 7/1 on Monday, after earlier giving 50/1 for the furry group’s Wombling Merry Christmas single.
It is also offering 7/1 for the cast of TOWIE’s version of Wham! hit Last Christmas.
But the closest challenger appears to be Nirvana with the band’s 20-year-old hit Smells Like Teen Spirit at 5/1.
Fans are being encouraged to buy the track as a response to the usual X Factor domination of the festive chart. In 2009, an anti-X Factor campaign catapulted Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name to the top of the charts ahead of show winner Joe McElderry.
Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber’s collaboration on All I Want For Christmas Is You is also at 7/1, and another strong tip is Arianna Morgan, a ten-year-old from Essex, who releases her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Songbird next month. She is ranked at 8/1.
Other contenders include Amy Winehouse (8/1), Westlife (14/1), Adele (14/1), The Smiths (20/1) and One Direction (25/1).
However, the X Factor winner may be able to sneak in if voting in the form of downloads is spread too thinly. When Rage Against The Machine won, it was due to there only being one other option.
