The Beatles have beaten jazz star Louis Armstrong and TV actress Lucille Ball to be named icons of the century by readers of US magazine Variety. It named the Liverpool band "the sole group who has most shaped the face of modern-day showbusiness".

The magazine ranked 100 iconic entertainment figures from the last 100 years, with industry figures drawing up a shortlist that readers voted on.

What a Wonderful World singer Armstrong came second, with Ball in third place.

Among the criteria for choosing "icons" were their commercial and creative impact, number of imitators, enduring appeal and whether they appeared on T-shirts.