We almost had a Robbie Williams and Britney Spears version of Fairytale of New York.
Williams has revealed that he was hoping to cover the Christmas classic and reached out to Spears to perform the female vocals in the duet only for the American pop star to decline.
"I asked Britney Spears to duet with me on Fairytale of New York," Williams explained on
Heart Radio.
"She said no. What a lovely story. She’s not working right now. She’s having a rest. Maybe it’ll happen in the future."
The song's original writer and performer, Shane MacGowan of The Pogues, has apparently given his blessing for Williams to cover it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8
MacGowan's wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, has revealed that they "would love to hear Robbie do it."
Speaking to
The Irish Sun, she suggested that Kylie Minogue would be a better choice than Britney Spears to perform the vocals made famous by Kirsty MacColl on the original Fairytale of New York.
She said: "Maybe Kylie would be better? She’s amazing. She sang with Shane before and he loves her."
Regularly voted the greatest Christmas tune of all time, Fairytale of New York has been covered by several different artists
since its 1987 release.
