The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
NO ORDINARY ROAD TRIP AS CELEBS TAKE ROCKY ROAD
Ruby Wax, Mel B and Emily Atack join forces for Trailblazers, Gemma Dunn reports
Expect mischief, fun and plenty of laughs as Ruby Wax, Melanie Brown – aka Mel B – and Emily Atack join forces for Trailblazers: A Rocky Mountain Road Trip. Airing on BBC Two, the three-part docuseries sees the trio embark on an epic adventure as they re-trace the footsteps of intrepid Victorian explorer Isabella Bird, whose exploits have largely been lost to history.
“Isabella is my heroine,” declares 69-yearold Wax. “We were (on a journey) seeing what a woman could do more than 100 years ago, wearing nothing, sleeping in the snow and being so brave…
“To me, she’s the beginning of the whole feminist thing, and yet we never hear about her,” the American comedian quips with passion. “I was thrilled to do it with Emily and Mel; I knew that we were going to click, but it was really important to follow the trail of this woman, otherwise, what’s it about?”
At a time when most explorers were men, Yorkshire-born Bird was certainly a trailblazer. Being prescribed “mountain air” to cure an illness, in 1873 she set off on her travels across the globe to find exactly that.
Travelling alone in what was a restrictive era for women, she crossed the lawless American Wild West during the Gold Rush era, riding a staggering 800 miles on horseback through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. She befriended outlaws, climbed mountains and even faced grizzly bears.
“These are like the forgotten heroes,” muses Brown, 47. “And I’ve never heard of her. It’s not in our history books. Why are all these women not being praised and celebrated?”
They soon will. And who better to emulate this iconic journey than three modern-day trailblazing women forging their way in their respective careers?
Using her original 1873 book, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, as inspiration, the threesome set out to explore the people, places, and curious customs of an everchanging America, while also reflecting on the changes in Western society over the last 150 years – and bonding over their own experience of womanhood.
For 32-year-old Atack, who had not heard of Bird and her exploits, it was the latter that initially drew her in. “It was presented to me as, ‘You’re going away with two legends, Ruby Wax and Mel B, the Spice Girl’. And I was like, ‘Well, obviously, I’m going’. I’ll go anywhere in the world with those two women because I’ve idolised them my whole life.
“But then learning more about what we were going to do, I was thrilled, because I really come into my own when I’m physically and mentally challenged…” says the former Inbetweeners star. “I’m always very open with how, at times, I struggle with my mental health. And the way I overcome those things is by getting out there in the world and challenging myself.”
From horseback riding and mountain climbing to learning to lasso and communicating with wolves, it’s an unforgettable voyage in pursuit of a forgotten pioneer.
But is there a particular standout moment? “Each thing we did, I thought, ‘Surely it can’t get more dangerous’ and each time it became harder,” Atack recalls.
“We started with the horses in the mountains and then we had to take lessons in mountain climbing before we climbed Pikes Peak at the end of the series.”
“What I found interesting was when we went to Aspen (and learned about the Gold Rush) …” says Wax.
“These miners came and they gouged out the size of the Grand Canyon into mountains and destroyed America, raised it to the ground, because they were so greedy. I could see the story of why America became what it became, which is decadent and ruthless. And they don’t know when enough is enough.”
Though “this was a road trip of a lifetime,” chimes Brown. “It was almost like you were doing a bucket list check-off because the places that we went to, the people that we met, the scenery, was incredible.
“We were three girls from three different walks of life, coming together, helping each other figure stuff out, having an absolute blast doing it and making good TV that is actually informational.”
As for what she learned, “that I’m actually the sane one among those two…” quips the Spice Girl, laughing, “And how open I am for fresh challenges and really (enjoy) putting myself out of my own head and getting into somebody else’s shoes for a change.”
Trailblazers: A Rocky Mountain Road Trip starts on BBC Two on Monday, November 28.