Vaughan Williams is top of the Discs

THE Beatles, Bob Dylan and Beethoven were among the most popular artists chosen by the public when they were invited to compile their own Desert Island Discs.

More than 25,000 people submitted nearly a quarter of a million tracks to the BBC Radio 4 website and the results were broadcast yesterday. Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending proved the most popular single track, followed by Elgar's Enigma Variations and Beethoven's Symphony No 9 in D minor Choral.

Desert Island Discs presenter Kirsty Young, the fourth broadcaster to front the long-running show, revealed the eclectic selection of tracks that ranged from opera to jazz and rap.

Beethoven's Symphony No 9 in D minor Choral, the third most popular track, has been the top choice among guests on the show since it began in 1942.

Non-classical favourites included Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd.

The most popular piece from the last decade was Elbow's One Day Like This.

The two most popular non-music requests were Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas and the 'leg over' cricket commentary with Jonathan Agnew and Brian Johnston.

Originally devised and presented by Roy Plomley, Desert Islands Discs is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio.