PICK OF THE WEEK

SATURDAY Tony Robinson’s Time Travels (C5, 7pm) The Greatest Dancer (BBC1, 8pm)

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The former Time Team presenter kicks off a new, five-part series with a double edition that initially sees him come face-to-face with the rule-breakers and rabble-rousers who stood up against injustice and made a difference. His first stop is 1st-century Britain, where he learns about a Celtic Queen who fought against the Romans. He then leaps forward to 1790s Australia before profiling a female political pioneer in 19th-century New Zealand. The second programme follows Robinson’s efforts to uncover the uncanny coincidences that have inadvertently determined the course of history, with the tale of a group of Second World War soldiers who joined a very special club proving to be a highlight.

Strictly Come Dancing ended a few weeks ago and the BBC hopes to capitalise on its popularity by launching yet another dance contest, this time featuring amateurs. It didn’t work with So You Think You Can Dance or Strictly Dance Fever, but perhaps it’s a case of third time lucky. Alesha Dixon and Jordan Banjo are the presenters, while Strictly pro Oti Mabuse, singer Cheryl and ex-Glee star Matthew Morrison form a panel of Dance Captains. Their job is to lead the charge to uncover the eventual winner, although it’s the studio audience that controls who goes through to the next round.

Viking Invasion: Digging Up Britain’s Past (C5, 8pm)

It was an event that shook the Christian world to its core. So traumatic was its destruction that some historians say it should mark the beginning of the Viking Age, even though it was not the first violence the British Isles experienced at the hands of the Vikings. In the first episode of a six-part series, Helen Skelton and Alex Langlands head to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, off the Northumbrian coast, where archaeologists are trying to find the site of the original monastery that was raided in 793AD. Among their finds is a graveyard and skeletons, which may be those of both monks and pilgrims.

Cutty Sark: 150 Years of War and Speed (C5, 9pm)

Rob Bell explores the tea clipper Cutty Sark, a ship that endured drunken captains and murderous crews, inspired a whisky and survived the coming of the steam age. Rob clambers aboard the iconic vessel at its permanent dry dock in Greenwich, London, to experience first-hand the beauty and superior design of the ship. He also delves into its dark past.

SUNDAY Manhunt (STV, 9pm)

Despite the Sunday-night slot and the presence of Martin Clunes in the lead role, there’s nothing cosy about this three-part drama. It focuses on the investigation that led to the capture of killer Levi Bellfield, who was eventually found guilty of the murder and abduction of Milly Dowler, and stars Clunes as former Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton. It opens in August 2004, as French student Amelie Delagrange is found on Twickenham Green with fatal head injuries. With no forensic evidence or