University Radio York launched a fresh bid for Christmas Number One last week – covering 1980’s classic Fairytale of New York.
The award-winning station’s cast can be seen singing and dancing to The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s festive 1987 track in a 3 minute 36 second clip on YouTube.
Featuring the radio’s studio and the University campus, the clip currently has 180 views and station manager Al Riddell said he wouldn’t rule out selling it on iTunes if demand were great enough.
“We don’t plan to release it into the charts just yet,” he told Vision.
“We don’t want to upset Simon Cowell when we reach number one. But seriously, we would consider it were there enough demand!”
The track could face stiff competition from the winner of this year’s X Factor and from chart-topping sensation Leona Lewis – whose latest single One More Sleep is already climbing up the ranks.
“It was unanimously decided that we should ruin the greatest Christmas song of all time, which has to be Fairytale of New York,” Riddell continued.
“The aim was to infect everyone with our Christmas spirit, something in great abundance at URY come December as we’re all allowed to play Christmas songs.”
Last year’s radio cast cover of Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone clocked up 524 views on YouTube.
The 3 minute 41 second clip, which starts off outside Heslington Hall, was never released for download.
And the covers don’t stop there – as Riddell has called on students to look out for a parody of A Whole New World called This Is Hes East in the coming weeks.
He said: “It was part of our 2013 Pantomime and will be released onto our YouTube channel shortly.”
The contenders for this year’s Christmas Number One will go head-to-head from December 15 for the coveted title.
BBC’s Radio One will announce the winner in a radio show on December 22.