Hit shows from Joseph to Macbeth helped West End theatres set record audiences last year.

More than 13.6 million theatregoers generated a total ticket revenue of almost £470million.

This is 1.25 million more tickets sold than during the previous record-breaking year when box office receipts passed the £400 million mark for the first time.

The success story was announced as the Society of London Theatre - the official face of theatreland - celebrates its 100th anniversary.

Many venues reported a growth in first-time visitors.

Chief executive Richard Pulford described last year as an "annus mirabilis" for London theatre, with many new productions catching the public imagination.

He said: "These figures are a wonderful start to our centenary year but we're under no illusions that in the current economic climate we're going to have to work very hard to maintain this success."

Rosemary Squire, the society's president and executive director of the Ambassador Theatre Group, said the figures were excellent news not only for the theatre industry but for the whole country's economy - they generated £70 million in VAT receipts.

She said: "The theatre capital of the world continues to come up with shows the public want to see."

Reality television shows had helped considerably, with Joseph and Grease following The Sound Of Music into the West End. Ms Squire said: "It brought in a lot more people, a lot of them young who weren't traditional theatregoers, which is a great thing. They have a lovely time even though it was something they hadn't thought of doing before and it's then on their agenda."

The society is holding special events to mark its centenary, including a walk of theatreland and a weekend of behind-the-scenes theatre tours.

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