EXCLUSIVE: Fans Fume Over 'Radio Boycott' Blocking a Bid to Finally Get an Uncensored Version of 'Fairytale of New York' To the No1 Christmas Chart Spot
Fans have been left fuming as a radio boycott blocked the uncensored song’s bid for Christmas number one.
Dec. 25 2025, Published 3:30 p.m. ET
RadarOnline.com can reveal The Pogues' Fairytale of New York is again at the center of Christmas chart politics, with fans furious that a refusal by BBC radio stations to play an uncensored live version could derail a renewed push to finally send the song to number one, nearly four decades after its release.
The Irish folk-punk anthem was first released in 1987 and peaked at number two, blocked from getting to the top spot in the U.K. by the Pet Shop Boys' cover of Always On My Mind.
The Battle Over Lyrics and Airplay
Fans accused the BBC of sidelining 'Fairytale of New York' during the Christmas chart race.
Written by Jem Finer and the late Shane MacGowan, who died aged 65 in November 2023, and sung with Kirsty MacColl, who was killed in a freak boating accident aged 41 in 2000, the song has since become a seasonal fixture.
The latest controversy centers on a newly released live recording that includes the original lyric "cheap, lousy f-----", prompting BBC stations to exclude it from playlists during the crucial Christmas chart window.
Music fans argue the decision amounts to a de facto radio boycott that undermines the song's best chance yet of reaching the top spot.
One industry insider said: "There's a real sense of injustice among fans that this live recording, which was never meant to be altered, has been kept off the BBC's playlists. It's a genuine performance of a hugely loved song by a hugely loved band, and blocking it like this could be exactly what stops it finally reaching the Christmas number one spot it has long merited."
Royalties and the Defiance of Shane MacGowan
BBC radio stations excluded the uncensored live version from their playlists.
The song has long divided opinion because of the "f-----" lyric, which some broadcasters have censored or avoided altogether.
In 2020, the BBC aired an edited version on Radio 1, muting one line and replacing another.
MacGowan defended the original wording in 2017, saying: "The word was used by the character because it fitted with the way she would speak and with her character."
He added: "She is not supposed to be a nice person, or even a wholesome person."
Despite the controversy, "Fairytale of New York" remains one of the most commercially powerful Christmas songs of the modern era.
Industry estimates suggest it continues to generate huge annual royalties through radio airplay, streaming and licensing.
Performing rights bodies do not publish exact figures, but the song was estimated in 2021 to earn around $535,000 a year from radio and streaming alone, with experts noting a strong chart performance can significantly increase that total.
he song peaked at number two in 1987 after missing the Christmas number one spot.
A Dark Anniversary and Allegations of a Cover-Up
Shane MacGowan defended the original lyric as true to the song’s characters.
Written following a challenge to produce a Christmas song that avoided sentimentality, Fairytale of New York vividly weaves the story of a fractured relationship between an older couple in New York City.
MacGowan voices the male character, while MacColl delivers the female part, with the duo trading bitter lines as Christmas Day approaches.
Despite its bleak narrative, the song struck a powerful chord with listeners and quickly embedded itself in popular culture.
Along with MacGowan's recent death after a lifetime of boozing left him confined to a wheelchair, the 25th anniversary this year of MacColl's shocking death overshadows the song.
It has also reignited allegations of a "cover-up" over her passing. MacColl was killed by a speedboat off the coast of Cozumel, Mexico, on December 18, 2000, just a week before Christmas, while protecting her two sons, Jamie and Louis, then aged 15 and 14.
The singer's ex-husband, producer Steve Lillywhite, who is also the father of her sons, has now publicly accused billionaire Guillermo Gonzalez Nova – once one of Mexico's richest men – of orchestrating the crash to avoid a costly lawsuit.
Nova, who owned the 31ft boat involved in the incident, was on board along with two of his sons, a daughter-in-law, and his 11-month-old granddaughter.
Seeking Justice for Kirsty MacColl
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Public affection kept Fairytale of New York central to Christmas music debates.
Lillywhite claims the vessel was actually operated by Gonzalez Nova himself, and that deckhand Jose Cen Yam, then 26, was paid to be made the scapegoat for the accident.
Many sources familiar with the case said speculation over MacColl's death has never abated. "A lot of people still think there's more to the story than what came out in court," one legal insider said.
"Her death is still considered by many a mystery, and the circumstances surrounding Cen Yam's tiny fine raise more questions than answers."
Another source added: "It's hard not to see the potential for a cover-up when the man who owned the boat was so wealthy and influential. People feel justice wasn't fully served."
Cen Yam avoided being caged on a charge of culpable homicide by paying a mere $90 fine, despite being held responsible for Kirsty's death.
Lillywhite, who is releasing a new version of Fairytale of New York with the late Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan, said about the incident in a chat to promote the fresh take on the iconic Christmas anthem: "They said that it was a young kid driving, but no one believes that. I think they just didn't want to have an enormous lawsuit because he was one of the richest guys in Mexico."
Cen Yam, who claimed he was driving at only one knot – about one mile per hour – had no license for the vessel.
