Episode 1

Three generations of trailblazing women - Ruby Wax, Melanie Brown and Emily Atack – come together to retrace the famous footsteps of intrepid Victorian explorer Isabella Bird. Travelling alone, Isabella crossed the lawless American Wild West, riding 800 miles on horseback through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. She befriended outlaws, climbed mountains, and faced grizzly bears in what was a restrictive era for women in Britain.

Using her original 1873 book A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains as inspiration for their own adventure, Ruby, Mel and Emily want to pay homage to this forgotten pioneer. They explore the people, places and curious customs of an ever-changing America, while reflecting on the changes in western society over the last 150 years and their own experiences of womanhood.