The X Factor number one single. It’s as Christmassy as turkey and tinsel, right?

No, of course it’s not. It hasn’t even been a decade since Shayne Ward grabbed the talent show’s first festive number one back in 2005. And since then only six of the UK’s nine Christmas number ones singles have been a Cowell creation.

What’s more, the public’s desire to own a Christmas X Factor “hit” seems to have dwindled dramatically – as this handy graph charting Christmas-week sales shows.

Graphic showing declining X Factor record sales

Based on these figures, we’ve cooked up a few bits of advice for Mr Haenow.

1. Dissuade anyone from releasing a charity single – especially as a collective super-group. Fortunately the sting seems to have already been taken out of Band Aid 30′s tail.

2. Stick with a rousing cover of a rock ballad. OneRepublic’s Something I Need should give Ben a head start, but it’s hardly Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah…

Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke remains the second highest selling X Factor winner over Christmas (Yui Mok/PA)

3. Rely on luck rather than raw sales stats. That seems to be how Leon Jackson and Sam Bailey did it.

4. Really, he should have done all this a few years back. Frankly, the public haven’t looked this apathetic since, well… Steve Brookstein.

5. Remember that an X Factor win isn’t (always) just for Christmas. Little Mix barely made 100,000 sales and look at them now…

Little Mix perform at NFL game
Little Mix are now stadium-sized (Matt Dunham/AP)

Having said all that, Ben should be chuffed he’s beaten off all the other contestants – including bookies’ favourite Fleur East. You know what they say: “Without that X Factor win, you’re nothing.”

At least that’s what Olly Murs, JLS, Ella Henderson and some guy called Harry Styles told us.