The bands were judged on song-writing, lyrics, live performances, originality and showmanship. Over 20,000 listeners voted on one of the five finalists.

After all the votes had been totted up, the winner was then announced live on air - and it was revealed that Queen had beaten the Beatles by just 400 votes.

Queen, led by flamboyant frontman Freddie Mercury, released a string of hit records throughout the \'70s, \'80s and \'90s. Mercury died from an Aids-related condition in 1991.

The band have continued with Paul Rodgers taking on the role of lead singer since 2004.