Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has been voted the nation's favourite number one album of all time.

In a poll conducted by The Official UK Charts Company and BBC Radio 2, listeners were asked to vote for their favourite album that had reached number one in the official album charts since its inception 50 years ago.

The Beatles' 1967 LP Sgt. Pepper was crowned king of the number one albums, beating Michael Jackson's Thriller into second place. U2's The Joshua Tree came in third.

Simon Mayo presented the list on Radio 2 over the bank holiday weekend, and said: "It is a very impressive list and no surprise at all that Sgt. Pepper is at the top. It revolutionised music and what we expect from an album. A fine choice indeed."

The survey also asked for people to vote for their favourite albums which had not reached the top spot in the charts. Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon, which only reached number two in 1973, won the 'Best Of The Rest' category.

Over 220,000 votes were received altogether for the online poll.