The 53-year-old was presented with the gong by The Voice star Tom Jones, beating Adele's best selling album of the past decade 21 and PJ Harvey's Mercury prize-winning Let England Shake.

The annual awards ceremony, which also recognises excellence in dance, opera and classical music categories, was hosted by Melvyn Bragg and held at the Dorchester Hotel on London's Park Lane.

Bragg said: "With such a strong and vibrant array of winners, from Kate Bush to Matilda, to the ENO, ...