Blending a life-long passion for biking, and a love of world cooking, Hairy Bikers Si King and Dave Myers bring enthusiasm and a down-to-earth Northern charm that sets them apart from other TV chefs.
Location Location Location
Si King is originally from Washington, Tyne and Wear. As a young man he had toyed with the idea of becoming a priest aged 13, but an interest in girls and music won out. His first job as a construction labourer was short-lived and the lure of show business proved irresistible, albeit from behind the scenes, when he became a film locations manager. During his career he worked on numerous productions, including two of the Harry Potter movies and Byker Grove. He met Dave Myers when they were both working on the set of a Catherine Cookson TV mini-series.From Make-Up to Motorbikes
Dave Myers is originally from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria and worked as a furnace-man in a steelworks before taking a fine arts degree and joining the BBC as a make-up designer, specialising in prosthetic limbs. He worked on a number of series, including Lives and Loves of a She-Devil and the spy drama Spooks.Biking In The Blood
Their fascination with motorbikes is no gimmick to distinguish them from other TV chefs: both Si & Dave grew up in households obsessed with 2-wheeled transport. Prior to the Hairy Biker Cookbook series they undertook a motorbike tour of Western India together, and they are constantly updating their personal rides, with Dave keeping at least 4 different bikes at any one time.The Hairy Franchise
From relatively recent beginnings, when they fronted the series The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook in 2004, the Hairy Franchise has expanded quickly to include multiple Hairy Bikers series, with accompanying offline books, to offshoots like The Hairy Bakers. In addition to travelling almost everywhere within the United Kingdom and Ireland, they have explored Vietnam, India, Namibia, Turkey, Transylvania, Portugal, Argentina & Mexico.Do It Yourself
With their mutual backgrounds in the behind-the-scenes workings of television, the pair does all their own research and reconnaissance for each series. Si, with his previous locations expertise, does most of the initial scouting, while Dave draws up the production schedules. This is no simple task, as they have cooked on four continents and covered thousands of miles, both abroad and within the UK.Keeping It Real
It takes around five weeks to make each programme. “Si and I go out to recce for two weeks,” says Myers. “We get a hire car and just explore. Then we spend a week working on the recipes. After that, the director and a small crew come out. We don’t have a food stylist. We film the programme as a documentary – if the food goes wrong, it goes wrong. They don’t let us have a second go at it.”Tools of the Trade
Apart from a set of cook’s knives, a knife sharpener and a zester, the only other item they take with them on every trip is a cob oven: a charcoal-fuelled tin bucket that is used for baking and grilling. Everything else that they need for their preparation and presentation is sourced locally. At the end of each trip they donate all their leftover items to a local orphanage or school.Accident Prone
In 2004, during filming in Namibia for their first series, they dropped their motorbikes more than 10 times, between them. In 2006 Si tore some ligaments, when he came off his bike whilst they were filming in Morocco. In October 2009, filming of a BBC Christmas show was halted after Si was injured whilst riding through Gosforth, Newcastle, when a car pulled out in front of him during rush hour; Dave was also present at the time, although unhurt as he was travelling some distance behind him. Si was treated for bruising to his right leg and ribs at Newcastle General Hospital.Saddle Sore
In 2008, during the filming of a 30-part daytime series for BBC Two, The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain, they travelled over 11,000 miles, across the length and breadth Britain, during what turned out to be one of the worst winters in 20 years.Travel Trivia
On their travels, Dave is usually responsible for carrying the medicines, which always include indigestion tablets and haemorrhoid cream; eating in exotic locations and riding motorbikes make these items essential. Si is somewhat less practical, considering his rosary beads a must-have item, although he is partial to a pair of waterproof Gore-tex socks.Promo Banner