Si King on his enduring bond with Dave Myers: ‘Mates for life and death’

“Just because Dave’s passed it doesn’t stop him being my best mate,” stated TV chef Si King. He further explained, “That’s not how that works. You know, you’re mates for life and death.” More than nine months have elapsed since Dave Myers, Si’s closest friend and co-star from the Hairy Bikers, passed away at 66 years old due to cancer. Si revealed, “I’m always talking to him. I’ll go, ‘What do you think of that dude?’ I mean, people will think I’ve lost my mind.” According to Si, their camaraderie originated from shared interests in motorcycles, curry, poppadoms, beer, and playing pool. They subsequently became the country’s beloved “hairy” culinary pair, known for wearing leathers and disregarding conventional norms in television cooking programs. Despite lacking any Michelin Stars, their culinary style was notably unpretentious. Si recounted with a laugh, “It took us two series to work out that we probably should be using Pyrex bowls so people could see what we were putting in them.” Reflecting on 25 years of shared experiences, he expressed his obligation to safeguard Dave’s memory and “to look after the legacy that he built,” as well as “the legacy of the Hairy Bikers that [they] both built.” Si is commemorating Dave’s life in a unique, standalone documentary scheduled for broadcast on BBC Two prior to Christmas. He commented, “It is about a celebration of my best mate and so it should be, because he was wonderful, and remains to be wonderful, because his energy’s still about, that’s for sure.” This past June, motorcycle groups from throughout the UK participated in a procession that traveled from London to Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, Dave’s birthplace, to honor his memory and collect funds for charity. Si revealed that the concept for this event, named Dave Day, originated from an intoxicated discussion with Lili, Dave’s widow, following Dave’s funeral. “Lil picked up on a social media post that somebody said, ‘I’m having a Dave Day, so instead of having a good day, just say have a Dave Day, because Dave was always positive, even right to the very end,” Si explained. Si expressed that no English superlatives could adequately describe the occasion. He felt profoundly moved by the spirit of camaraderie and togetherness, yet also experienced “there’s a frustration in it as well that I just wish he’d been there,” he noted. Si and Dave commenced their television careers working behind the scenes, with Si serving as an assistant director and Dave as a makeup artist. They transformed their passion for cooking, dining, and motorcycling into a thriving culinary travel series. Si remarked, “We were very lucky that the BBC let two… hippies out on the Great British public.” He further stated, “It was a wonderful opportunity for two relatively ordinary blokes to be in extraordinary circumstances, being a conduit of other people’s stories from around the world.” However, characteristic of the Hairy Bikers, plans did not always unfold as intended – for instance, during the filming of their show’s pilot episode, they were supposed to depart in a glider but were unable to take off due to their combined weight. Another incident involved Si placing chips on blue tissue paper to dry, which resulted in the chips being dyed blue. During their journeys, they aimed to highlight diverse cultures and regional cuisines. In Japan, the pair even attempted sumo wrestling, and Si recalled Dave’s meticulous effort to ensure his appearance in his loincloth. Si recounted, “This is what he was like, right,” adding, “He’d done his bikini line, I remember, and I went, ‘You’ve done your… What! A born makeup artist.'” Si recalled Dave’s response: “No, it’s got to look aesthetically pleasing.” Both originating from working-class backgrounds in the north – Dave in the north-west and Si in the north-east – they shared similar upbringings. Dave’s mother received a Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis during his youth, leading Dave to become her caregiver at an early age. He was merely eight years old when he prepared his family’s initial meal, a cheese and potato pie. Si commented, “On top of all of that, during his adolescence, he had alopecia and I think the way that Dave approached his life was indicative of his childhood really.” He added, “He wore those scars a little bit, of course he did, as everybody would, but it never stopped his enthusiasm for life though.” The profound connection between the bikers was evident even on Dave’s wedding day to his wife, Lili. “I mean [Lili] finds it funny, but I’m sure at the time she found it pretty irritating. Dave would always go, ‘Kingy, come on man, get in man, we’re having a photograph’. I’m going, ‘Dude, it’s your wedding day, I’m in every photograph. Lil’s going to go mad when she sees them.’ He was like, ‘No, no, no, come in,'” Si recalled. Si mentioned that he even spent Valentine’s Day with the pair. He described their relationship from the outset as being like “two old slippers,” despite their distinct personalities. Dave possessed a comedic nature, and Si stated he naturally assumed the role of complementing Dave’s silliness. “One egg is never an oeuf” was a joke Si frequently heard Dave reiterate. Si also noted that Dave’s use of similes was constant. Dave would often exclaim, “Oh, look at that, Kingy,” adding, “It’s lighter than a hummingbird’s toenail clippings.” Another example was, “the onion is now more transparent than a bank manager’s smile.” Si explained that the primary objective of the Hairy Bikers was to encourage individuals to return to cooking in their kitchens, emphasizing that food serves as the unifying element among people – a task made more challenging currently by the stress and time constraints experienced by working families striving to make a living. Si stated, “I understood, as did Dave, the importance of actually sitting round a table when we were little, because that’s what formed us as adults.” He continued, “And it was important, because you could see if your mum wasn’t very well, or dad was a bit grumpy.” A subsequent Dave Day gathering is scheduled for June 2025. Regarding Si’s professional future, he indicated that any potential involvement in another cookery program would necessitate “a marked change” from the series he developed with Dave. Nevertheless, Si expressed certainty that his closest friend would wish for him to persist with new endeavors. He affirmed, “I think in the spirit of the bikers, Dave would want me to continue to have fun and to educate, to inform, to enlighten, to be slightly edgy.” “In fact, I don’t think, I know that he’d want that for me – and I miss him,” he concluded. The documentary, titled “The Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone,” is set to be broadcast at 21:00 GMT on Monday, December 23, on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.