Si King has revealed one of his all-time favourite memories with his friend Dave Myers and their many travels around the world as The Hairy Bikers.
TV chef Myers, from Barrow-in-Furness, found fame alongside his friend and work partner King 20 years ago and became known for travelling the world on their motorbikes and trying out foods from different regions. The pair became known for their TV show The Hairy Bikers and their cookery books inspired by their travels.
Myers passed away in February 2024 after being diagnosed with cancer in 2022, refraining from ever revealing what form of the disease he had. His memory was honoured in June, on “Dave Day”, when thousands of bikers joined a gigantic convoy from London to Myers’ home town in Cumbria, which King hailed as “absolutely remarkable”.
The Hairy Bikers’ story of their remarkable motorcycle journey across the country last summer has been documented in a one-off special programme called The Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone, which will air over Christmas. It will use archive footage, new interviews and unseen clips to celebrate Myers’ life and his double act with King.
Speaking at a Q&A after a screening of the documentary in London in November, King was asked what one of his favourite memories that he shared with Myers during their many travels around the globe.
The 58-year-old focused on their trip to Namibia in Africa, which first aired on the BBC in 2009.
“There was a great moment, actually in Messum Crater in Namibia,” said King.
“It’s just the most remarkable place. It looks like the surface of Mars. Then at night, it’s like somebody pulling a duvet over your head because it’s very dark, you’re 175 miles away, at least, from any major civilization. Then the sun sets behind a big mountain, and there’s a silhouette, and then you see the Milky Way and you see the universe that you live in.
“I was lying there, and, we were listening to Bob Dylan at Budokan really, really, really quietly because we didn’t want to disturb the peace. Dave and I just looked at each other and said nothing and just had a little moment.”
King added: “You have a little bit of a giggle about it now because it was so remarkable. I mean, there’s so many moments. There’s so many moments, you know?”
The Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone will air on 23 December at 9pm on BBC Two.
