The Hairy Bikers Interview

The bikes are already revving and are raring to go. Simon King and David Myers, aka The Hairy Bikers, are hitting the road and setting off their first ever national tour. “The Hairy Bikers’ Big Night Out”, a brilliant new live show featuring our best-loved culinary experts cum motorcyclists, is visiting 45 venues right across the country. It will be at a theatre near you very soon. But you better book soon, because tickets are selling like the delicious hot cakes the Bikers made in their Hairy Bakers TV show.

All the ingredients are in place for a delectable evening: gripping stories from their past, anecdotes from their global travels, enticing cookery demonstrations of recipes taken from all over the world, and huge laughs. It’s mouth-watering fare, isn’t it?

During the course of “The Hairy Bikers’ Big Night Out”, which is presented by Phil McIntyre Entertainment, Simon and David will be reminiscing about their trips to places such as Southern India, Turkey, Argentina, Romania and Mexico. They have journeyed all over the world hunting for authentic food and new cultural experiences, which they are keen to share with you now.

Simon and David will also be travelling back through their lives, alighting on such hilarious moments as their baby photos and their never-before-seen first screen test for The Hairy Bikers TV show. In addition, a few lucky audience members will have the opportunity to sample the dishes at the end of two displays of how to prepare a three-course meal in fifteen minutes. So whatever you do, do not miss this chance to see the lads up close and personal.

I’m chatting to the lads before they embark on this mammoth nationwide tour – and they couldn’t be more excited about it. You’ll be delighted to hear that Simon and David are just as charming, charismatic, compelling and comic off screen as they are on it. They are gifted with the two qualities we Brits prize above all others: great modesty and a great sense of humour.       

The Hairy Bikers are effortlessly magnetic performers, so a live show seems a natural progression for them. Whenever they are out and about making their highly popular TV shows, they immediately hit it off with the people they bump into.

“We hope we’re good with people,” says Simon, who hails from Newcastle. “We like folk. Folk are generally brilliant.” He adds that he is really looking forward to performing “The Hairy Bikers’ Big Night Out”. “A live show gives you instant gratification. When you film, it’s always deferred gratification. But when you’re performing live, you can say to yourself, ‘did they laugh? Yes! Great. That makes me feel really good!’”

David, who lives in Barrow on Furness, is equally thrilled by the prospect of “The Hairy Bikers’ Big Night Out”. “I love cooking in the street because you always meet so many fascinating people. One reason we want to do the stage show is to have that connection with people. When you’re filming you don’t connect with the audience in the same way. I can’t wait!”

The Hairy Bikers have really struck a chord with people. They have fronted several smash-hit BBC2 programmes, including The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook, The Hairy Bikers Ride Again, The Hairy Bikers Come Home and The Hairy Bakers, which cooked up ratings of more than four million in 2008. More recently, they have been responsible for the immense, 30-part series, The Hairy Bikers’ Food Tour of Britain, The Hairy Bikers’ Twelve Days of Christmas and Mum Knows Best, which has also gained enormous audiences.

So why do people so adore the Hairy Bikers? Viewers enjoy their company because they so clearly enjoy each other’s company. Their chemistry is completely unforced. Simon reflects that, “Dave and I have been friends for a very long time.

“We were doing trips together long before the cameras were there. I think there is a lot of integrity to our shows. People relate to us because we’re just ordinary fellers. We’re cooks, not chefs. There is a normality and a familiarity about us. People will have friends like Dave and me.”  

Dave takes up the theme. “Si and I genuinely are mates. With us, what you see is what you get. Also, we’ve never done the same thing twice. In life, you want to keep changing and trying new things. We delight in diversification and I think the viewers do, too. Another thing is, we’ve never patronised people. For example, on Mums Know Best, we always let the mums speak for themselves. It’s dead honest.” 

Audiences certainly identify with The Hairy Bikers’ integrity. “We’ve been very lucky in our careers,” Simon observes. ”We’ve never done anything we didn’t want to do. Every project has got to light our candle.

“We’re not jobbing presenters – we’re our own men. In this world we live in, it would be very easy to be cynical, but we’re not made that way. We’re not robots – we really like what we do. We’re very positive about things, and I hope people warm to that.” We do, we do.

Simon carries on that, “we’re great enthusiasts, and food and travel are great mediums for that enthusiasm. There’s already enough cynicism in the world, and if two people refuse to be cynical, that’s refreshing. Long may it continue. If I ever become a rotund, miserable, cynical git, please do tell me!” 

In addition, people are also drawn to The Hairy Bikers because they speak a globally comprehensible language: food. Dave comments that, “food is the biggest common denominator. Wherever you’re from, it cuts through class, religion, race and nationality. There is some snobbery about food, but whether you’re talking about filet mignon or fish and chips, the sensory pleasure of food is the same. It’s something everyone can understand. It’s universal.”

In staging “The Hairy Bikers’ Big Night Out”, Simon and David have received invaluable help from their good friend, the comedian Bob Mortimer.  “It’s Bob’s arena,” Simon explains. “He’s so talented and has been very sharp about shaping the show and giving it a narrative.”

David chips in that, “Bob has made it a show rather than a collection of rambling stories! He’s a great editor. He’s used to crafting shows, so this will be a proper night out. Never fear – people will not feel short-changed.”

The Hairy Bikers’ popularity will surely only be enhanced by the live show, but they remain appealingly self-effacing about their achievements, “We’ll keep going as long as people want to watch us,” says Simon. “We’re flavour of the month now. I’m sure when it stops, we’ll be like sucking sour plums!”

Ever self-deprecating, Simon carries on that, “tickets for ‘The Hairy Bikers’ Big Night Out’ are selling very well. There appears to be a great appetite for this show, which is very flattering. But we never take anything for granted. We’re just grateful that people turn up!”

Dave concludes with a brief summary of the show. “It’s going to be really good crack. It’ll be like coming out to have a great laugh with Si and me.”

And what could be better than that?