Injecting some fresh energy into the over familiar festive rotation, ‘Nobody Wants To Be Alone At Christmas’ is a catchy contender for this year’s holiday hit list. A sweet, nostalgic offering. It arrives to depict the essence of Christmas along with a gentle reminder that not everyone will have somewhere to go. With proceeds going to youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, the release provides an opportunity to reflect on the challenges faced by thousands of young people this Christmas. 

The new single drops ahead of its feature in popular mystery drama series The Chelsea Detective. The show stars the fantastic Adrian Scarborough (Killing Eve, 1917) and superb Vanessa Emme (Dublin Murders, Three Families). It has just returned for its much anticipated third season. The drama delves into the murky crimes of Chelsea and in this case, it examines the suspicious death of 2000s pop star Chloe Carmichael. 

With brilliant creatives behind it including executive producer/creator Peter Fincham (I’m Alan Partridge, Smack The Pony, The Lost Prince) and executive producer Ella Kelly (Death In Paradise, Midsomer Murders), the series has built up much acclaim since its launch in 2022 and has recently completed a run on UKTV’s U&Drama channel, consistently topping the digital channel charts in the UK. The show has generated a fan base in over 40 countries and has been described by The Times as a ‘hidden gem TV show’.

Chloe Carmichael (Martha Kirkby) is a fictional character who appears in the season three Christmas special. Chloe is a pop star from the early 2000s who is found murdered in her Chelsea flat, a week before Christmas. Her single, Nobody Wants To Be Alone At Christmas, reaches the top of the charts again as news of the tragedy spreads. Chloe gave her royalties from the song to a homeless charity, further endearing her to heart-broken fans.

With the issue of homelessness being anything but fictional, the choice to transport the track into the real-world, felt natural for independent production company Expectation. Back in December 1969, the revered Ken Leech opened a night shelter in the basement of his church in London’s Soho to give young homeless people a safe place to sleep. Towering over Soho was the Centre Point building, left empty to make money for property developers. Incensed by this “affront to the homeless”, Ken Leech called his shelter Centrepoint, and the charity was born. 

Fast forwarding to today, the work of Centrepoint has evolved beyond recognition. Centrepoint supports thousands of young people every day and it’s more essential than ever that they have the facilities to continue their incredible work. Almost 136,000 young people faced homelessness last year and, with the cost-of-living crisis continuing to bite, all the indications are this number is only going to rise. Find out how you can support Centrepoint HERE.

The Chelsea Detective Christmas Special will air December 16. To watch seasons one & two, please visit Acorn TV  & Follow Acorn TV here