Time Team's Sir Tony Robinson will unveil Whitehaven's new Beacon Portal building next month.

The presenter will also be launching the museum's exhibition, Gladiators: a Cemetery of Secrets, as well as giving a free talk on Saturday, September 23.

A Copeland Council spokesman said Sir Tony's involvement in Time Team "has made him a witness to some of Britain's most significant finds in recent years, himself excavating a renowned 1600 year old mosaic Roman pavement in Turkdean Gloucestershire in 1997."

Running until December 3, the Gladiator exhibition offers six ancient burials which suggests the dead could have been a group of gladiators who lived and fought in York during the Roman occupation.

The talk ticket does not include entry into the Gladiator exhibition, but visitors are welcome to explore the rest of the museum on the day and purchase their exhibition pass at reception.

Earlier in the year, Sir Tony featured in a TV series based on Wainwright's Coast to Coast book included Cleator Moor and St Bees.

For further information about how to register for the talk go to thebeacon-whitehaven.co.uk or ring 01946 592302.