It's game on for this year's battle for the Christmas Number One race, as The Wombats unveil their seasonal offering with the help of a certain '80s game show legend.

The energetic Liverpool-based trio have finally uncovered the video for 'Is This Christmas', the seasonable single, set for release on December 15, featuring guest star and 'Family Fortunes' marvel Les Dennis.

Dennis was asked to perform the spoken word intro for The Wombats' Christmas charity single - apparently because they wanted a fellow Scouser to do it, with Paul O'Grady also on the hit list. Lucky enough for Matthew Murphy and co, Dennis was a fan of the band and the song and was happy to offer his services for the piece.

Interesting video fact: the turkey actually being eaten in the video is real and had to be defrosted in the bath to speed things up as the band ran out of time. They were all a bit worried about the consequences, but no one was ill, thankfully.

This year's competition for the spot is certainly going to be tough, and even the recruitment of Les is no guarantee. There are some tough competitors out there with 'Coronation Street' star Ian Reddington (Vernon in the soap for those of you that need more of an intro) also stepping up to the plate with his Christmas release '(Don't Fall Into) The Mason's Arms'.

For you non-'Corrie' fans out there, his character sings on the show to try and persuade his wife Liz to get back with him. We don't think such a lack of effort warrants the prize - but that's up to the masses.

Watch The Wombats, followed by Vernon's attempt, further down below.

All proceeds from the single ‘Is This Christmas’ will be donated to MENCAP.

Whenever I'm walking to walk on freezing mornings I always find myself scrolling for bleak, acoustic songs. There's something about whispery, feathered vocals that lend themselves to those days when you can see your own breath.

Perhaps, also, the act of bundling yourself up with a hat and scarf creates a kind of insularity - blocking out the big bad world - that chimes well with the solipsism of the singer-songwriter form.

Here are a few of my choices. Which songs do you think sum up, or lend themselves to, icy mornings?

Bruce Springsteen - Highway 29
Tells the tale of a Bonnie & Clyde-style pair of ill-fated, bank-robbing lovers driving towards their deaths. "The winter sun shot through the black trees..."

Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy Jr
Proves you don't have to be a metal band to write about serial killers.

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Not so long ago we ran an exhaustive list of the most abysmal album covers ever, the results of which were determined by an online poll.

Now Cracked.com have come up with their own Top 15. A lot of the same sleeves crop up, but it's still worth checking out, if only for the funny, vituperative captions.

Plus, it gives us an excuse to print this:

And this:

And, of course, my own personal favourite:

The runaway viral success of the 'literal' video version of A-Ha's 'Take On Me' - 1.75 million views and counting - has spawned a whole genre of literal-minded video spoofs.

Here's U2's 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For', overdubbed to include the observational lyric: "There's The Edge, he's a cowboy".

Here's Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Under The Bridge' (sample lyric: 'Turn the purple light real low/Is that Will Ferrell?')

Tears For Fears' 'Head Over Heels':

And finally, in an example of the internet swallowing its own tail, here's

Spencer Elden, the "Nirvana baby" who appeared naked on the cover of 'Nevermind' in 1991, has attracted a fair amount of derision from bloggers for recreating the iconic image (only this time wearing swimming trunks).

Now a 17-year-old high-school student, Elden is evidently proud of his minor place in rock history – perhaps a little too proud. Rather than play down his involvement, he's fond of making self-aggrandising statements such as: "It's creepy [to think] that that many people have seen me naked — I feel like I'm the world's biggest porn star."

Elden even admits he uses his one-time status as music's most recognisable infant to pick up women. "I have to use stupid pick-up lines like, 'You want to see my penis ... again?' ", he told MTV. The charmer.

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I've seen some opportunistic rock n'roll tat in my time – from 50 Cent condoms to a toothbrush that plays Queen songs - but the Mighty Boosh action figures currently available from Forbidden Planet plumb new depths. This, apparently, is supposed to be Vince Noir and Naboo:

Who buys this stuff? I've never understood the law of commerce that decrees that when an act reaches a certain level of fame, an action figure must be rushed into production.

In the world of heavy metal you can sort of understand it, because with bands like Kiss and Iron Maiden the iconography and sense of playfulness is integral to the music. But why would any sane individual want to own figurines of a glamour-free indie band like The Magic Numbers?

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