The Hairy Bikers are collectively David Myers and Si King. The pair of British celebrity chefs have presented numerous television shows, mostly for the BBC but also for the

Good Food Good Food was a cookery channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom and Ireland, latterly as part of the Discovery, Inc. network of channels. The channel originally launched on 5 November 2001 and relaunched in its final format on 22 June 2009. ...

channel, that combine cooking with a motorcycling travelogue. They have made numerous series and published a range of accompanying cookery books. Myers and King, who both have backgrounds in television production, have known each other since the 1990s. They made their first appearance on UK television as presenters of ''

The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook ''The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook'' (renamed ''The Hairy Bikers Ride Again'' for the third series and ''The Hairy Bakers'' for the fourth series) is a BBC television cookery and travel programme, that has so far run for four series and a Christmas spe ...

'' on the BBC in 2004 and ran for four series. The duo followed this up with ''

The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain ''The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain'' is a 2009 BBC television cookery programme which is presented by The Hairy Bikers: Dave Myers and Si King. The 30-part series, which aired weekdays at 17:15 on BBC Two in the United Kingdom began on 24 ...

'', ''The Hairy Bikers' Mums Know Best'', ''Hairy Bikers' Meals on Wheels'', ''Hairy Bikers' Best of British'', ''The Hairy Bikers' Bakeation'', ''Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight'', '' The Hairy Bikers' Asian Adventure'', ''The Hairy Bikers' Northern Exposure'' and ''The Hairy Bikers' Pubs That Built Britain'' for

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

, and ''The Hairy Bikers' Mississippi Adventure'' for Good Food.

Presenters

Both Myers and King have a background in TV and film production. Myers is a professional make-up artist, specialising in

prosthetics In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...

, while King served as locations manager on numerous productions including the ''Harry Potter'' films and ''

Byker Grove Byker is a district in the east of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne. Home to the Byker Wall estate, made famous by TV series '' Byker Grove'', Byker’s population was recorded at 12,206 in the 2011 census. Byker is borde ...

''. They met in 1992 on the set of a TV drama entitled ''The Gambling Man'' which was based on a

Catherine Cookson Dame Catherine Ann Cookson, DBE (''née'' McMullen; 20 June 1906 – 11 June 1998) was a British writer. She is in the top 20 of the most widely read British novelists, with sales topping 100 million, while retaining a relatively low profile i ...

novel. King was the second assistant director and Myers was head of prosthetics, hair and make-up on the production.'How We Met' at The Independent.co.uk
Retrieved 8 September 2013 Both got

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

s of

Che Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...

on their right arm, in 2006 while filming in Argentina. Simon King is a supporter of

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East En ...

TV series

The duo appeared on the BBC's ''

''. Their TV shows are a mixture of cookery and

travelogue Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or ...

, using a similar format and style to that previously associated with

Keith Floyd Keith Floyd (28 December 1943 – 14 September 2009) was a British celebrity cook, restaurateur, television personality and "gastronaut" who hosted cooking shows for the BBC and published many books combining cookery and travel. On televi ...

, including the habit of frequently referring to the cameraman and other crew. Most shows feature the pair riding

motorbike A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...

s, including the

BMW R1200GS The BMW R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure are motorcycles manufactured in Berlin, Germany by BMW Motorrad, part of the BMW group. It is one of the BMW GS family of dual sport motorcycles. Both motorcycles have a , two-cylinder boxer engine with four ...

, F650GS and Triumph Rocket III. The show also features elements of the

Two Fat Ladies ''Two Fat Ladies'' was a British cooking programme starring Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright. It originally ran for four series and twenty-four episodes, from 9 October 1996 to 28 September 1999, being produced by Optomen Televisi ...

format, including regular

banter Conversation is interactive communication between two or more people. The development of conversational skills and etiquette is an important part of socialization. The development of conversational skills in a new language is a frequent focu ...

between the two stars, use of various unusual cooking locations and the use of motorbikes. Hairy Bikers - Dundee Food and Flower Festival 1

The pair have appeared on several episodes of ''

Saturday Kitchen ''Saturday Kitchen Live'' is a British cookery programme, that is broadcast live on BBC One every Saturday between 10.00am and 11.30am produced by Cactus TV. History 2002–2003 After a pilot hosted by Ainsley Harriott on 14 April 2001, the ...

'' on the BBC, as well as on ''

Richard & Judy ''Richard & Judy'' (also known as ''Richard & Judy's New Position'') is a British television chat show presented by the married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. The show originally aired on Channel 4 from 26 November 2001 to 22 Augus ...

'' on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

. They both appeared on a celebrity chefs special of ''

The Weakest Link ''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host Anne Robinson completed her contract. ...

'' and in the première episode of ''James Martin's Brittany'' with ''Saturday Kitchen'' presenter James Martin. In summer 2009 they filmed a 30-part daytime series for

, ''

'', which aired weekdays starting on 24 August 2009. The series saw them visit a different county each day and cook what they considered to be that county's signature dish. In October 2009, filming of a BBC Christmas show featuring the Hairy Bikers was halted after King was injured in an accident on Tyneside. King came off his bike when a car pulled out in front of him, while he was riding through

Gosforth Gosforth is a suburb of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It constituted a separate urban district from 1895 until 1974 before officially merging with the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2001, it had a populati ...

during rush hour. His TV partner Dave Myers was riding some distance behind him. King was taken to Newcastle General Hospital for treatment to bruising to his right leg and ribs. The hour long ''Hairy Bikers' Twelve Days of Christmas'' was shown on BBC2, 16 December 2009. A new six part series titled ''The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best'' commenced broadcast in early January 2010 on BBC2. On 25 October 2010, a new 40-episode series, ''The Hairy Bikers' Cook Off'', was launched on BBC2. The programme includes a cook off between two families and celebrity guests. From January to May 2010, the Hairy Bikers performed their "Big Night Out" show in theatres throughout the UK. Directed by

Bob Mortimer Robert Renwick Mortimer (born 23 May 1959) is an English comedian, podcast presenter and actor. He is known for his work with Vic Reeves as part of their Vic and Bob comedy double act, and more recently the '' Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing ...

, the show was a fun mixture of cooking and chat with a little song and dance thrown in. It explored their youth, how they met and their love of food. In October 2010, the Hairy Bikers were guests on the BBC TV series ''

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabili ...

'' hosted by comedian

Dave Gorman David James Gorman (born 2 March 1971) is an English comedian, presenter, and writer. Gorman began his career writing for comedy series such as ''The Mrs Merton Show'' (1993–1998) and '' The Fast Show'' (1994–1997), and later garnered a ...

. In June 2011, the Bikers appeared in the second series of ''Mum Knows Best''. The series, made up of eight episodes, featured three 'Star Mums' whose recipes were tested and shared with the public. In addition, one of the episodes featured the world-famous 'pie village' of

Denby Dale Denby Dale is a village and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is 10 miles (17 km) to the south-east of Huddersfield and 9 miles (14 km) north-west of Barnsley. The village is the main villag ...

, where the

Denby Dale Pie Company Denby Dale Pies is a manufacturer of pies founded in 2001 in the "Pie Village" of Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, England. Their products are sold in branches of Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose, Co-op Food, Asda, Morrisons and Booths. History The ...

are based. October 2011 saw a new series, ''Meals on Wheels'', air on BBC2. The series fronted a campaign to save local 'meals on wheels' services around the UK. From November to December 2011, the Bikers appeared in a 30-part BBC series called ''Hairy Bikers: Best of British'', airing at 3:45pm on BBC2 (apart from the show's final week, in which it aired on BBC1). The series celebrated British recipes and championed local produce. In January 2012, continuing into February, BBC2 showed hour long re-versions including recipes from various episodes of the series. After they had signed new contracts with the BBC in 2011, a new series was commissioned. ''The Hairy Bikers' Bakeation'' saw them on a gastronomic road trip, looking at baking across

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

, the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

(

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

and

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...

(

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

and

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

In March 2012,

commissioned ''The Hairy Bikers' Mississippi Adventure'', the duo's first series for the channel.

UKTV UKTV Media Limited, simply known as UKTV, is a British multi-channel broadcaster, which, since 2019, has been wholly owned by BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. It was formed on 1 November 1992 throug ...

gave a description of the series: "In this ultimate food and music pilgrimage, the perennially popular Hairy Bikers are getting back in the saddle as they explore the length of the iconic

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

in America in pursuit of the delicious roots of soul food and Southern music." The series will be produced by Mentorn Media and the Bikers' first interactive iOS app, also produced by Mentorn, will be released to accompany the series. In August 2012, ''Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight'' showed how the Hairy Bikers' radically changed lifestyles, but stayed true to their love of great food, as they embarked on a campaign to lose two-and-a-half stone () in three months, and comfortably passed their target weights. In August 2012, Myers appeared on Channel 4's ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and ev ...

'' in dictionary corner, and again in January 2013. Their new six-part series " The Hairy Bikers' Asian Adventure" premiered on BBC2 13 February 2014. The Bikers visit Hong Kong, Bangkok, Thailand, Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Kobe & South Korea. Myers took part in the eleventh series of ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 j ...

'', partnering

Karen Hauer Karen Hauer Wyn-Jones (formerly Clifton; born 20 April 1982) is a Venezuelan-American professional Latin dance specialist and World Mambo Champion, best known for her appearances on the British television series ''Strictly Come Dancing.'' She is ...

. On 10 November 2013 he was the sixth celebrity to be eliminated from the contest. In September 2016 the pair premiered
The Hairy Bikers – Chicken & Egg
' on BBC 2. The show featured the pair biking across Europe, America, and the Middle East in search of the best chicken and egg recipes. The six episodes feature the UK, France, Morocco, USA and Israel. In 2018 Hairy Bikers appeared i
Hairy Bikers' Mediterranean Adventure
on BBC2 This was followed in 2019 by Hairy Bikers: Route 66, where the duo visited restaurants and producers situated along the iconic American road. During February – March 2020, The Hairy Bikers presented the C5 five-part series ''The Chocolate Challenge with The Hairy Bikers'', where seven chocolatiers battled it out to create, brand, and name their very own chocolate bar.

TV

*''The Hairy Bikers Cookbook'', BBC TV, 2006 – 2008(''The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook'' (renamed ''The Hairy Bikers Ride Again'' for the third series and ''The Hairy Bakers'' for the fourth series) *''The Hairy Bakers' Christmas Special'', BBC TV, 2008 *''The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain'', BBC TV, 2009. 30 Episodes *''Hairy Bikers' Twelve Days of Christmas'', BBC TV, 2009 *''The Hairy Bikers Mums Know Best: Series 1'', BBC TV, 2010. 6 Episodes *''The Hairy Bikers' Cook Off'', BBC TV, 2010. 40 Episodes *''The Hairy Bikers Mums Know Best: Series 2'', BBC TV, 2011. 9 Episodes *''Meals on Wheels'', BBC TV, 2011. 4 Episodes *''Hairy Bikers: Best of British'', BBC TV, 2011. 30 Episodes *''The Hairy Bikers' Twelve Days of Christmas'', BBC TV, 2011 *''The Hairy Bikers' Bakeation'', BBC TV, 2012. 8 Episodes *''Hairy Dieters'', BBC TV, 2012. 4 Episodes *''The Hairy Bikers' Mississippi Adventure'', BBC TV, 2012 *''Hairy Bikers Everyday Gourmets'', BBC TV, 2013. 6 Episodes *''Hairy Bikers' Best of British: Series Two'', BBC TV, 2013. 19 Episodes *''The Hairy Bikers: Mum Knows Best – Series 2'', BBC TV, 2013 *''The Hairy Bikers' Restoration Road Trip'', BBC TV, 2013. 3 Episodes *''Hairy Bikers' Meals on Wheels, Back on the Road'', BBC TV, 2013. 2 Episodes *''The Hairy Bikers' Asian Adventure'', BBC TV, 2014. 6 Episodes *''The Hairy Bikers' Northern Exposure'', BBC TV, 2015. 6 Episodes *''The Pubs That Built Britain'', BBC TV, 2016. 15 Episodes *''The Hairy Builder with Dave Myers'', BBC TV, 2016. 15 Episodes *''The Hairy Bikers – Chicken & Egg'', BBC TV, 2016. 6 Episodes *''Operation People Power'', BBC TV, 2016. 5 Episodes *''The Hairy Bikers' Comfort Food'', BBC TV, 2017. 30 Episodes *''Kitchen Garden Live with the Hairy Bikers'', BBC TV, 2017 *''The Hairy Bikers Home For Christmas'', BBC TV, 2017 *''Hairy Bikers' Mediterranean Adventure'', BBC TV, 2018. 6 Episodes *'' Hairy Bikers: Route 66'', BBC TV, 2019. 6 Episodes *''The Chocolate Challenge with The Hairy Bikers'', C5 TV, 2020. 5 Episodes *'' The Hairy Bikers Go North'', BBC TV, 2021. 8 Episodes+1 Christmas Special *''The Hairy Bikers Go Local'', BBC TV, 2023. 8 Episodes

American version

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

released an American version of the show starring Paul Patranella and Bill Allen. The show aired for 10 episodes and was spoofed in an episode of ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand ...

'' entitled " A History Channel Thanksgiving".

Awards and honours

*2012

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

, "Food & Drink Book of the Year" for ''The Hairy Dieters'' *Fortnum and Mason Food and Drink Awards 2022, "Personalities of the Year" for ''The Hairy Dieters''

Bibliography

Autobiography

* ''The Hairy Bikers Blood, Sweat and Tyres: The Autobiography'' ( Orion, 2015)

Cookery books

* ''The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook'' ( Michael Joseph, 2006) * ''The Hairy Bikers Ride Again'' (Michael Joseph, 2007) * ''The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain'' ( W&N, 2009) * ''Mums Know Best: The Hairy Bikers' Family Cookbook'' (W&N, 2010) * ''Mums Still Know Best: The Hairy Bikers' Best-Loved Recipes'' (W&N, 2011) * ''The Hairy Bikers' Perfect Pies'' (W&N, 2011) * ''The Hairy Bikers' Big Book of Baking'' (W&N, 2012) * ''The Hairy Bikers' Great Curries'' (W&N, 2013) * ''The Hairy Bikers' Asian Adventure'' (W&N, 2014) * ''The Hairy Bikers' Meat Feasts'' (W&N, 2015) * ''The Hairy Bikers' Chicken and Egg'' (Orion, 2016) * ''The Hairy Bikers' 12 Days of Christmas'' (Orion, 2016) * ''The Hairy Bikers' Mediterranean Adventure'' ( Seven Dials, 2017) * ''The Hairy Bikers' British Classics'' (Seven Dials, 2018) * ''The Hairy Bikers' One Pot Wonders'' (Seven Dials, 2019) * ''The Hairy Bikers' Veggie Feasts'' (Seven Dials, 2020) * ''The Hairy Bikers' Everyday Winners'' (Seven Dials, 2021) * ''The Hairy Bikers' Brilliant Bakes'' (Seven Dials, 2022)

Diet books

*''The Hairy Dieters: Eat for Life'' (W&N, 2013) *''The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight'' (W&N, 2014) *''The Hairy Dieters: Good Eating'' (W&N, 2014) *''The Hairy Dieters: Fast Food'' (W&N, 2016) *''The Hairy Dieters: Go Veggie'' (Orion, 2017) *''The Hairy Dieters Make It Easy'' (Seven Dials, 2018) *''The Hairy Dieters Simple Healthy Food'' (Seven Dials, 2022)

References

External links

*
Hairy Bikers on the BBC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hairy Bikers British television presenters English television chefs English television personalities Entertainer duos Motorcycle television series English autobiographers British cookbook writers Diet food writers