20 December 2023 , 12:17
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The Hairy Bikers have opened up about what was an "incredibly emotional" festive special of their much-loved BBC series.
Dave Myers and Si King were back on the road once again for the The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home for Christmas special, as they set their sights on dishing up an extra special festive banquet – a thank you to those who’ve cared for Dave after his cancer diagnosis.
The one-off programme delivered a fabulous three-course feast with a twist, as Dave and Si cooked up a storm for all the people Dave says he "owes my life to" amid the cook's ongoing treatment for cancer.
The Hairy Bikers were back on the roads for their festive special (BBC/South Shore Productions/Neil Ferry)Speaking ahead of the show airing on Tuesday night, Dave admitted it was a "very brave" programme for them to film, following him living alongside a cancer diagnosis over the last 18 months. The culinary star revealed the show wasn't closure for him just yet, as he continues with his cancer treatment, but is a "bloody good milestone".
"It’s a very different programme, it’s very personal, it’s very close to our hearts," Dave shared before The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home for Christmas premiered on BBC Two on Tuesday. "It’s a very brave programme. I’ve been ill for the last 18 months and our work-life has been a mishmash and when it was muted we slowly got back to work and then we did a Christmas special.
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"We wanted it to be different and there’s one thing about food and sharing it with people you love and care about, and it’s so much more vital to do that. This time we shared that food with people I owe my life too. There’s the nurses, the consultants, the physiotherapists who taught me to walk again. There was a guy who sold me a motorbike and got me back onto bikes, because I had to learn to ride again."
He added: "It really is a joyous occasion. It’s a glorious celebration of life and Christmas. It’s a beautiful programme that we are both very proud of. It’s a Christmas I never thought I’d be here to enjoy and thanks to these people I am which I’m heartily grateful for. It’s not closure as I’m still having treatment but it’s a bloody good milestone."
Si also touched on the emotional reason for the special, sharing: "The spirit of Christmas is exactly what was around that table. Love, care, empathy, understanding and joy. It’s a joyous Christmas special with the essence of Christmas and what it’s all about for friends and family. It’s about joy, love and care, that’s what you can expect."
Addressing how it felt to get back on the road with his fellow biker Dave, Si sweetly said: "I genuinely don’t have any words, it was incredibly emotional because it’s what we do. It was the return for Dave and for me to normal a little bit and that was very precious when things haven’t been for Dave particularly so by default haven’t been for me either. It was lush to see Dave in my rear-view mirror riding saying ‘are you sure we’re not turning left here’."
Dave was also overjoyed to be back on his bike, adding: "The whole thing worked from start to finish. It’s been amazing getting back on the bikes together, we set off down the road and Si was leading so I didn’t have to think about where I was going. That feeling of again doing what we’ve done for 30 years was magical. Si’s got shoulders like a bison and following that silhouette into the landscape was joyous. It was like getting my wings back."
He went on to credit his co-star and pal for being by his side throughout his cancer treatment, saying: "Knowing Si has been there is fantastic. A lot of the credit has to also go to my wife, she’s been there through it all with me from the start. It’s absolutely vital and I feel really sad for those people who have to go through it on their own."