TV presenter Si King has said he is “grateful” for a “wonderful outpouring of support” following the death of his fellow Hairy Biker Dave Myers.
The 58-year-old said he was “lost for words” when 46,000 motorcyclists turned up for Dave Day, a 30-mile ride to pay tribute to his friend, after Myers died aged 66, following a cancer diagnosis.
He was speaking before The Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone, a one-hour special about the memorial day which will air on BBC Two on December 23 at 9pm.
King said: “I’m a great believer in never taking anyone for granted, people have been incredibly supportive, and people want me to carry on, as Dave did too.
“There’s been a wonderful outpouring of support which one should never take for granted, but it’s always been lovely to be in receipt of.
“One should never feel entitled that you have that support because it’s a lovely thing to be in receipt of. When you do what you do, you do it in isolation. You do it with your crew and then it goes out on the telly.
“It’s not like a theatre tour where it’s instant gratification, we’re in people’s front rooms so you never really know how it’s received and how you’re received. It’s always incredibly flattering when people are kind about what you do and if you can make a difference to their day then that’s amazing too.”
The Kibblesworth-born star explained how the pair met while working on a Catherine Cookson drama and bonded over “a curry, four poppadoms and four pints of beer”, before going on to produce more than 30 series together.
King added: “I’m incredibly proud of the programme because it’s a tribute to my best mate.
“Dave Day wasn’t so much cathartic, it just felt so celebratory of Dave’s life. It’s not often I’m lost for words but that day I seemed to be.
“I just couldn’t believe the scale of the event and I think for the motorcycle community it was an opportunity to show their affection for Dave and the Bikers and that was on a mass scale.
“And those who weren’t in the motorcycle fraternity who lined the route was a remarkable collective, emotional tsunami of kindness and love and affection. For us to all come together as a community, it just felt like there was sense of belonging. It was a beautiful day.
“It was an amazing experience, I didn’t quite know what to expect. That was the whole thing, none of us did.
“We thought at the most we’d get 10,000 bikes, we didn’t dream it would be 46,000 motorcycles and a 30-mile tail, it was just insane. I just felt enormously privileged.”
He said his favourite meals to prepare alongside Myers were pies as they were “northern lads”, and said his favourite location they had visited together was India, where he said the pair were “blown away” by the country’s vegetarian food culture.
