Here comes treble
TRAILBLAZERS: A ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROAD TRIP BBC2, 9pm
AS three incredibly loud, extrovert women come together for this intrepid road trip, the only question is, who’ll take the lead?
“What am I doing in the middle of the American wild west with a Spice Girl and an actress?” says Ruby Wax.
“We’re following in the footsteps of one of my biggest heroines.”
Ruby, Melanie Brown and Emily Atack are retracing the adventures of Yorkshire-born Victorian explorer Isabella Bird, whose exploits have been largely forgotten.
At a time when most explorers were men, Isabella was a trailblazer.
After being prescribed mountain air as a cure following many years of ill health including a spinal disorder, in 1873 Isabella set off on her travels alone, riding 800 miles on horseback through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. She befriended outlaws, climbed mountains and even had encounters with grizzly bears, wolves and rattlesnakes.
Using daring Isabella’s book ‘A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains’ as inspiration, Ruby, Mel and Emily embark on their own three-week wild west adventure.
Emily says: “This is shameful but I’ve never really been anywhere. I can’t just sit on Instagram, there’s a whole world out there.”
When we first see them, they are singing “I tell you what I want, what I really really want…” and talking about fancying Jeff the driver. But the laughter eases when they are dropped off in the middle of nowhere and Ruby – the worst driver ever – takes the wheel of their transport.
Entering into the spirit, they head to a cattle ranch to try some riding and wrangling.
The bewildered ranch worker says: “You guys are a hoot.” And that’s exactly what this is…