The Great British Story: A People’s History (BBC2, 9pm)
Piers Morgan’s Life Stories – Jimmy Tarbuck (ITV1, 9pm)
Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here (BBC4, 9pm)

TO many women of a certain age, Michael Wood is the twinkly-eyed historian capable of getting them all in a lather just with the mere mention of museums and local archives.

He knows his onions too – he isn’t a mere figurehead when it comes to the various series he’s presented over the years. Now 63, the Manchester-born historian studied at Oxford before a TV career beckoned.

He began working on current affairs programmes, then explored his love of history with the 1981 series In Search of the Dark Ages. Since then he’s presented the likes of Conquistadors, In Search of Shakespeare and, most recently, Michael Wood’s Story of England.

His latest eight-part series, The Great British Story: A People’s History, aims to unearth the true story of the UK, not by looking at the activities of monarchs or politicians, but by studying the roles played by ordinary folk, and how what they did still has an impact on our lives today.

According to executive producer Cassian Harrison, the series promises “to unlock our shared historical past through the eyes of ordinary people and hopefully encourage them to explore more about their own local history and their place within it”.

The first part focuses on the end of the Roman era to the Eighth Century, exploring the legacy left by Rome and our regional identities in the Dark Ages.

Wood will visit villages in Suffolk, South Wales, Tyneside, Scotland, the Wirral and Leicester.

Accompanying the series is a BBC Learning campaign of events that celebrate local history.

“Having a local context to the great events of history brings them alive in a new and captivating way and I hope people will be inspired by the television programmes to continue to uncover their own place in history by visiting one of this summer’s events,” says Wood.

THE 72-year-old entertainer Jimmy Tarbuck looks back on the highs and lows of his career in Piers Morgan’s Life Stories – Jimmy Tarbuck. He’s the Liverpool-born son of a bookmaker who left school at 15 and decided life as a garage mechanic was not for him.

After a spell at Butlin’s as a Redcoat, he got his big break on Comedy Bandbox at the age of 22. By 1965 he was the regular compere of Sunday Night at the London Palladium.

Over the next three decades he became a regular fixture on the box with shows such as Live From Her Majesty’s and Tarby and Friends and a lengthy spell on ITV game show Winner Takes All did little harm to his career or bank balance.

CAST your mind back to 1975. An era when Jaws was breaking boxoffice records, Telly Savalas, Mud and The Bay City Rollers were dominating the charts, and disco and punk were about to turn the music world upside down.

Heady days, indeed. However, for those who took their music a little more seriously, Pink Floyd were a great alternative.

Their 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon had sold by the cart load, and their ninth studio album, Wish You Were Here, would become another firm favourite, topping the charts in the UK and US.

The documentary Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here examines its creation, impact and the fact it reflects on the legacy of Syd Barrett.

He left the band in 1968, and was the inspiration for one of their best-loved tracks, the song Shine on You Crazy Diamond.