King reflected on the memories he shared with Myers, in particular a camping trip in Namibia in which they had a “spiritual experience” looking up at the African sky, “properly” seeing their galaxy for the first time.
He also recalled how their relationship was sealed “over a tandoori chicken masala, four poppadoms and three pints of lager” after meeting on TV drama The Gambling Man in 1992.
“It was motorbikes that first got us chatting, but it soon became obvious that Dave was just as nuts about food as I was,” he said.
The pair’s first TV appearance together was The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook in 2004, which was part cooking show and part travel programme and in the first episode the duo rode the length of Portugal.
King said he keeps getting asked if the Hairy Bikers have left a legacy.
“Yeah, I’d like to think we made a little bit of difference, here and there,” he said.
“Just two regular blokes, having a go at beef rendang or apple pie. Hopefully we caught the attention of people who didn’t normally watch swanky cooking programmes on telly.”
King added: “Overweight, scruffy, working-class northerners don’t often get presented with an opportunity like the Hairy Bikers.
“It was a beautiful, magical thing and I’ll miss it. I’ll miss him. But there is a future for me, and I’m excited for what’s coming next.”
