TRAILBLAZERS: A ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROAD TRIP

As Emily Blunt continues her fictional Western adventure in The English (Thursday, 9pm, BBC2), three celebrities head to America to experience the delights of the wild west for real. Ever heard of the Victorian explorer Isabella Bird who, in 1873, rode 800 miles on horseback through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado? No? Well, you’re not alone. But three modern trailblazing women — Spice Girl Melanie Brown, comedian Ruby Wax and actress Emily Atack (above, getting a selfie with guide Lauren) — are out to set the record straight as they retrace

the footsteps of a pioneer whose exploits have largely been lost to history. Using the letters Bird sent to her sister Henrietta — which are the basis for the 1879 book A Lady’s Life In The Rocky Mountains — the trio embark on a three-part adventure which sees them sample a plate of scrummy Rocky Mountain oysters (that’s bulls’ testicles to you and me) before throwing themselves into the cowboy lifestyle full throttle. Yee haw!

Monday, 9pm, BBC2