Yahoo News Si King ‘misses me best mate’ as Dave Myers absent from latest Hairy Bikers
Myers was poignantly absent from a section of the show as he was not feeling well enough to film, and King said: "It was odd without him... I missed me best mate."
What did you miss?
Hairy Bikers star Si King confessed, "I missed me best mate" as Dave Myers was poignantly absent from a segment in the latest episode of the Hairy Bikers, which aired in the wake of his death.
King announced the death of his best friend on Wednesday 28 February at the age of 66, following his battle with cancer. The TV chefs' latest show The Hairy Bikers: Go West — which was filmed in 2023 after Myers had learned to walk again following aggressive chemotherapy treatment — is currently airing on BBC Two.
Producers announced they had decided to go ahead with airing the series. But Myers was poignantly absent from a section of the episode as he was not feeling well enough to film. King said: "It was odd without him... I missed me best mate."
What, how and why?
Just hours before the latest episode of The Hairy Bikers: Go West was due to air on BBC Two, producers announced that they had decided to go ahead with scheduled broadcast.
In a statement on The Hairy Bikers' official Instagram account they said: "The next episode of ‘Go West’ is on @bbctwo tonight. Despite such sad times we know that Dave would have wanted you to continue to enjoy the magical series that he shot with Si last year.
"We’d like to thank everyone from all over the world, who has reached out with messages of love and support over the last few days. Every one of them has been read and truly appreciated."
Introducing the show the show the announcer said: "First to Wales in really good company - the light, zesty and lovely Dave Myers, gone but not forgotten."
For the first time in the series, there was a segment of the programme which King had to film on his own as Myers was feeling unwell and needed to take a break. King told the camera: "With Dave's treatment ongoing he needed to take a break today.
"So he was a big miss and I didn't like riding on my own particularly. It was odd without him... I missed me best mate."
How did viewers react?
Just minutes in to the episode fans confessed they were moved to tears. One wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter: "Already crying #hairybikers." Another said: "It doesn’t feel right that this series is the last we’ll see of Si and Dave. Dave’s passing has left quite a large hole in the culinary tv space #HairyBikers #HairyBikersGoWest" A third shared: "Watching Hairy Bikers Go West. Still doesn’t seem real #hairybikers."
Another posted: "Poignant. Poor Dave. What a massive miss he will be. So glad he got to make #HairyBikersGoWest Thinking of Si and Dave’s lovely wife and family #hairybikers" One viewer admitted: "Making me emosh this. Dave was an absolute gem #hairybikers @HairyBikers @BBCTwo" And another tweeted: "Oh dave if only you knew how missed you are #hairybikers."
Myers revealed in 2022 that he had been diagnosed with cancer. The aggressive chemotherapy he underwent to combat the disease not only meant he had to learn to walk again but also made him lose his appetite.
What else happened on The Hairy Bikers: Go West?
The latest episode of the show saw Myers and King, 57, visit North Wales, a place where Myers spent childhood holidays with his family. He even got a chance to fulfil a childhood dream of driving a steam train on the Welsh Highland Radio.
King said: "It was nice to see me best mate driving the train. It was just lush to see a smile on his face, because he's had a rough time." He also said: "What is nice is that Dave and I are back in North Wales. It's a place pretty special to him. And with his ongoing treatment, it's nice to see him back on the bike."
In the episode, Myers said of his treatment: "It's so nice to be back on the road, I missed it last year Kingy. It was such an awful year."
Myers shared a memory of visiting Caenarfon Castle as an 11-year-old boy, attending the investiture of King Charles III, then Prince of Wales and seeing the Queen. He recalled: "I remember this well, on the 1st of July 1969, 11-year-old Dave, I came to the investiture of King Charles, or Prince Charles, Prince of Wales.
"I saw the Queen, and the first thing that came to me mind was her hat. It looked exactly as if somebody had up turned a bowl of scrambled eggs on her head. Once this had got in my mind, all this going on and all this kerfuffle - was Her Majesty with a bowl of scrambled eggs on her head!"
The Hairy Bikers: Go West airs on BBC Two on Tuesdays at 7pm is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Read more: Hairy Bikers
Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers left behind impressive fortune after death (Independent, 2 min read)
Dave Myers’ determination to film Hairy Bikers after cancer treatment hailed (Northern Echo, 2 min read)
The Hairy Bikers: Dave Myers and Si King's enduring friendship through health battles
Watch: Dave Myers rides his bike again after cancer fight
