American travelogue for Dara O Briain and Ed Byrne

Dara O Briain and Ed Byrne are to travel the Pan American Highway from Alaska to Panama for a BBC Two travelogue.

They journey covers the northern half of a 30,000-mile route that extends to the tip of South America – save for a 100-mile gap in the Panamanian rain forest – that holds the title of the world's longest ‘motorable road’

The comedians and close friends (they were best man at each other’s weddings) will be following in the footsteps of three Detroit adventurers who attempted the full journey in in 1940, when the route was just a dirt track, earning them the nickname ‘the three damn fools’ in the press.

O Briain and Byrne’s travels will be covered in three hour-long episodes, co-financed by Irish broadcaster RTÉ and due to air towards the end of the year.

The provisional title is Dara and Ed’s Pan Am Adventure, and en route the pair will encounter characters such as Mexican wrestlers, gang members and indigenous transvestites.

It is not the only travelogue featuring two comedians to air this year. Mark Watson and Henning Wehn have just finished filming on Kia's Road To Rio, in which the two comics drive through South America ahead of the World Cup in Brazil.

Published: 13 Mar 2014