Alan Bennett's lauded drama The History Boys has been voted Britain's most beloved play.

The show, about a group of teenagers preparing for their university entry exams, topped a new poll by bosses at the English Touring Theatre.

The History Boys was first staged in London in 2004, launching the careers of British actors James Corden, Dominic Cooper and Russell Tovey, and was adapted into a film in 2006.

Noises Off, a farce by Michael Frayn, came second in the list, followed by William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet.

Other plays to make the top 10 include Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem, and An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley.

The Bard took the eighth, ninth and 10th spots on the list with Twelfth Night, MACbeth and King Lear.