Trainspotting and Iron Maiden top Jubilee poll The Number of the Beast beat perennial favourites in "best album" polls, such as The Beatles" Revolver, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, and Radiohead's OK Computer. Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden's singer, said that the group is "proudly British" and described winning the award as "very special." Almost 55,000 people voted for their favourite films and albums online over the last month after HMV put two 60-strong longlists on the internet. HMV said that the results of the poll are likely to have been influenced by loyal fans of bands such as Iron Maiden encouraging each other to vote on social media sites such as Facebook. "As you can see, the power of social media means there are one or two surprises," the retailer said. HMV revealed that The Number of the Beast received over 9 per cent of all the votes cast, suggesting a concerted internet campaign by the Iron Maiden's fans. A similar campaign is likely to have been behind the number two album, Violator by Depeche Mode, another album that does not usually feature strongly in "best of" lists. Mr Dickinson said: "We're astonished and delighted to hear The Number of the Beast has been named number one in HMV's Diamond Jubilee survey for the greatest British album category. Some of the most influential and classic albums from the last 60 years were in the running so it's a testament to our incredibly loyal and ever-supportive fans who voted for us. Gennaro Castaldo, a spokesman for HMV, said: "The beginning of Elizabeth II's reign, and the bright new future it represented, didn't just coincide with a flowering of British popular culture, it helped to provide the very spark that lit the touch-paper for an explosion in music and film talent." Number of the Beast was Iron Maiden's third album. It caused controversy when it was released in 1982 due to the religious nature of the songs and the band's apparent fascination with the occult. Songs titles included Children of the Damned and Hallowed by the Name. The title track contained the lyrics: "666 the number of the beast, Hell and fire were spawned to be released." According to various reports in the music press, the recording of the album was marred by strange occurrences. Studio equipment mysteriously broke down and Martin Birch, the record's producer, was involved in a bizarre car accident with a minibus transporting a group of nuns. Legend has it that after the accident he was presented with a repair bill for £666. Top 10 albums Iron Maiden / The Number of the Beast Depeche Mode / Violator The Beatles / Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band The Beatles / Abbey Road Pink Floyd / The Dark Side of the Moon The Beatles / Revolver Queen / A Night at the Opera Oasis / (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Adele / 21 The Beatles / White Album Top 10 films Trainspotting Monty Python and the Holy Grail Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two Monty Python's Life Of Brian A Clockwork Orange 2001: A Space Odyssey Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The Italian Job Shaun Of The Dead The Kings Speech