Griff Rhys Jones will present the series

The BBC Two programme, called Restoration, will invite viewers to vote for their favourite of the 30 shortlisted buildings.

The list, which features buildings from across Britain, includes a coffin factory, a lino works and a TB sanitorium.

The winning building will be restored from funds raised through The Restoration Fund, a BBC appeal awaiting registration as a charity.

The shortlist was announced on Friday as English Heritage published its list of 98 new entries on its Buildings at Risk register.

On a typical weekend more people visit historic buildings and monuments than go to football matches Jane Root, BBC Two controller

The organisation said 114 buildings were saved in the past year, including St Luke's Church, north London, which has been restored for use by London Symphony Orchestra as a music education and community centre.

Restoration will start in August and will feature 10 hour-long shows outlining why each of the buildings should be saved.

A celebrity advocate will put the case for each building, as they did in last year's Great Britons TV series.

They include Ulrika Jonsson, who will put the case for the Newman Bros coffin factory in Birmingham, and Michael Portillo, who will ask viewers to save the Lino Works in Kirkcaldy.

Restoration shortlist The 30 selected heritage sites

Series presenter Griff Rhys Jones said his work in preserving an east London theatre had fired his imagination for the series.

"I've been involved in the Hackney Empire for about three of four years and we've just finished raising money so I knew how difficult it was to restore buildings, but I also knew how fascinating it was.

"I've always been fascinated by the buildings at risk list and so quite selfishly I thought what a fantastic opportunity to go and have a look at them."

The winner of each programme will be announced from the battlements of the Tower Of London and the historic venue will also play host to a live final.

BBC Two controller Jane Root said there was a real appetite for Britain's heritage.

"On average every day in the UK one historic building or monument is lost or destroyed.

"Yet we know on a typical weekend more people visit historic buildings and monuments than go to football matches.

"Our challenge as programme-makers was to harness this interest in our heritage and enable viewers to make their mark on history by saving one of these astonishing buildings."

English Heritage launched the first edition of the register in 1998 and last year offered almost �5m in grant aid for restoration projects.

The organisation estimates �400m is needed to repair all the buildings on the register.