X Factor winner Ben Haenow on course for Christmas No. 1 spot
Winner of The X Factor 2014 Ben Haenow is on course for the coveted Christmas No. 1 spot after increasing the gap over his nearest rival, Mark Ronson.
Haenow has already sold 107,000 copies of his single Something I Need since its release on Sunday night, putting him in line to be the seventh winner of the ITV contest to clinch a festive chart-topper.
Although he is outselling last year's winner Sam Bailey, he is way behind the huge sales achieved by 2012 champ James Arthur, who had racked up 255,000 sales by this stage of the week two years ago.
Bailey achieved sales of 67,000 after two days with her track Skyscraper, but she still wen on to snag the No. 1 spot.
Figures released by the Official Charts Company today show that Haenow is 33,000 copies ahead of Ronson, whose Uptown Funk track with Bruno Mars is the closest realistic contender for the prized seasonal top slot.
Ed Sheeran's hit Thinking Out Loud is set to take the No. 3 slot, according to data in the midweek chart.
But chart bosses say the race is not over just yet - figures for online streaming will be included which could make a huge difference to the final result.
Uptown Funk - which X Factor runner-up Fleur East performed on the show - is the most-streamed track of the week so far.
Band Aid 30's revamped charity hit Do They Know It's Christmas?, once considered a strong bet for the Christmas No. 1, is only at No. 11 at the moment.
The acts have until the final announcement on Sunday to battle it out.