What did you miss?
Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers revealed chemotherapy changed his tastebuds – and gave him a sweet tooth.
The TV chef – who recently died on Wednesday 28 February at the age of 66, following his battle with cancer – joined best friend Si King for one last road trip which is currently airing on BBC Two in their new TV series The Hairy Bikers: Go West. In the latest episode the pair visited an local bakery in Bristol to taste ‘couture’ cookies and Myers confessed how simple moments shared with his longtime friend and colleague “touched the soul”.
What, how and why?
The Hairy Bikers: Go West continued on BBC Two on Tuesday evening, after producers confirmed a week after Myers’ death they had decided to go ahead with airing the series, as it was what he would have wanted.
In the latest episode Myers and King, 57, visited an artisan bakery in Bristol and helped make white chocolate cookies. Myers confessed: “Tasting these cookies from a local bakery is a sweet reminder that simple joys and shared moments can touch the soul. These cookies baked with love carry a piece of this beautiful city with them, as do I.” He went on: “I did feel like I’d wandered into this wonderful kind of Willy Wonka chocolate cake factory and it’s funny, since I’ve been treated and I’ve had chemotherapy, I’ve developed a sweet tooth, which of course was catered for amply there.”
Later in the episode King and Myers rode their bikes over the Clifton Suspension Bridge and marvelled at the view. Enjoying the sun and the fresh air Myers quoted the Pet Shop Boys, saying: “Go west, life is peaceful there, go west lotsof open air.”
King said: “It’s quite nice to be back on the Severn, actually it was quite nostalgic for us.” Myers added: “What a wonderful way to end our journey around the West Country. The trip provided a medley of flavours and brought back sweet memories as well as creating some new ones.”
He went on: “There’s memories here, a lot of memories for both of us, but what.s lovely is the optimism of looking forward and certainly on the food front it’s very, very exciting, very optimistic. We’ve got the best of the past and the best of the future.”
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?
In the first episode to air after Myers’ death, he was poignantly absent from a segment of filming, prompted King to confess: “I missed me best mate.”
There was a segment of the episode filmed in North Wales 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.”
The Hairy Bikers: Go West airs on BBC Two on Tuesdays at 7pm is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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