The BBC’s hit record, Sound Effects #4, passed the 27th multi-platinum landmark at 15:22 GMT on Saturday, following the purchase of a copy in the Princes Street, Edinburgh, branch of HMV by Raymond Fitzsimmons.

The sale means the LP has supplanted The Eagles: Their Greatest Hits as the biggest selling album of all time, ahead of other strong competition such as Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Pink Floyd’s The Wall and Led Zeppelin’s IV.

A representative for the band told reporters last night: “This just confirms what we’ve known all along, man. The BBC are the undisputed kings of rock and roll. The guys send their apologies, but they can’t be here tonight on account of being on tour in Europe. I know they’d want to send a big thank you to all their fans for supporting them and buying their records, right?”

Reports from Antwerp indicate that the BBC celebrated the news by drinking the entire contents of every mini-bar in the Holiday Inn, before rolling their tour bus into the swimming pool and setting fire to an effigy of Daniel O’Donnel. The hotel manager excused their high-jinks, saying that it was “an honour to have a super-group of their calibre” staying, and that it would not take long to clean the twenty foot high slogan “BBC RULE OK” off the front of the building.

Some of the brightest stars in the music firmament have been effusive in their praise and congratulations.

Sir Elton John, who collaborated with the BBC on their concept album Comedy Sound Effects, said: “No-one deserves this more than the boys. Sound Effects #4 redefined the genre. After hearing SELF-SERVICE RESTAURANT, voices, crockery, cutlery, footsteps and dishes for the first time, I was changed forever.”

The band’s influence was wide-ranging indeed. Artists from The Beatles to The Who admit to being inspired by the BBC’s avant-garde sound.

“Not many people know this, but we wrote Quadrophenia in three hours after getting stoned and listening to LINE-UP TONE over and over again in my bedsit,” said Pete Townshend.

Alan Titchmarsh remembers the live tour: “I’d queued for three days at the Wembley Stadium box office to get tickets with my friend Keith. We were cold, we were stiff and we must have stunk to high heaven. But as the opening strains of MAINLINE RAILWAY STATION, footsteps, voices, trolleys, destination indicators and PA announcements rolled out over the thousands of Beeb fans, we knew it had all been worthwhile.”

The news comes as the BBC enter the race to get the Christmas Number One album with the release of Total Sound Effects: The Best Of The BBC, which includes several tracks from Sounds Effects #4 including the seminal CATHEDRAL, movement from visitors and distant traffic.

“They’ve picked up a lot of new fans lately,” said Garth White of NME, “with the retro-interest generated by compilations like The Best Sound Effects Album In The World… Ever! and Now That’s What I Call Sound Effects. All the clubs are playing their stuff practically back to back.”

The most exciting news, though, is surely the rumour of a new album which is spreading like wildfire among those in the know.

Detractors may say the BBC peaked with the early 80’s album Sound Effects #12: British Birds, but as anyone who has heard Hamburger Fast Food Restaurant, the final track from #49, will testify: the best is surely yet to come.