BBC Radio poll reveals ‘ultimate British group’

A poll of BBC Radio 2 listeners has revealed the public’s favorite British group, pitting The Rolling Stones against The Beatles and Queen against Girls Aloud.

Unsurprisingly, The Beatles were crowned the ‘definitive British group’ when the top 30 acts were announced.

The radio station unveiled listeners’ top 30 favorite acts in the UK on Friday (October 11), in an announcement naming The Beatles as the “definitive British group”, along with the remaining top five.

The Liverpool-formed band topped the poll ahead of Queen, who came in second, with The Rolling Stones in third, Pink Floyd fourth and Fleetwood Mac, ranked fifth, who ranked despite their American members, as most of the band members were born or lived. in the United Kingdom, or had British citizenship.

Formed in 1960 by Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, The Beatles are the best-selling musical act of all time and remain one of the most successful and influential groups in the world.

With hits including ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘Come Together’, ‘Hey Jude’, ‘She Loves You’, ‘Yesterday’ and ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, the Fab Four scored 18 UK No.1 singles and 16 from number 1 in the UK. 1 albums.

Other acts to make the top 20 in the BBC Radio 2 poll included the Spice Girls, Blur, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin and The Who.

Oasis broke into the top 10 shortly after announcing their long-awaited reunion, which will take place next year with a huge series of stadium tours.

Listeners voted from a list of 54 bands active between the 1960s and 2010s, assembled by a panel including Radio 2 presenters Jo Whiley, Sara Cox, OJ Borg, Vernon Kay, Scott Mills, Trevor Nelson, DJ Spoony and Owain Wyn Evans. .

The survey was organized to celebrate National Album Day and marked this year’s theme of the great British bands. National Album Day 2024 is celebrated on Saturday, October 19.

Panel chairman Jeff Smith, head of music at Radio 2 and 6 Music, said: “We were delighted to see Radio 2 listeners cast hundreds of thousands of votes for their best British act, and this top 30 list best reflects some of the biggest-selling and most established British artists who have achieved incredible global success over the decades.”

A special program will be broadcast from 13:00 to 15:00 on Saturday 19 October as part of the BBC’s schedule, and is available now on BBC Sounds. Radio 2 will be playing exclusive British bands throughout the day from 6am until midnight.

The first 20 entirely voted by Radio 2 listeners:

1. The Beatles

2. Queen

3. The Rolling Stones

4. Pink Floyd

5. Fleetwood Mac

6. Led Zeppelin

7. Take this

8. Coldplay

9. Oasis

10. Electric Light Orchestra

11. The Who

12. Depeche Mode

13. The Jam

14. Radiohead

15. The Smiths

16. Genesis

17. Pet Shop Boys

18. The cure

19. Duran Duran

20. Madness

National Album Day is celebrated on Saturday, October 19.

Additional reporting by Press Association