New figures indicate that music was crucial in lifting people’s mood during lockdown. More than 155m albums were bought or streamed in 2020, an increase of 8.2%, according to record label body the BPI.British artists Lewis Capaldi, Harry Styles and Dua Lipa were the three biggest-sellers of the year.

BPI boss Geoff Taylor said the “remarkable” figures were a reminder of “how important music is to our country, even when our lives are disrupted”. Lewis Capaldi’s Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent was the UK’s biggest-selling album for the second year in a row.