Si King | |
---|---|
![]() King (left) with Dave Myers in 2010 | |
Born | Simon James King 20 October 1966 Kibblesworth, County Durham, England |
Occupation | Television presenter |
Years active | 1989–2024 |
Children | 3 |
Website | Hairy Bikers official site |
Simon James King (born 20 October 1966) is an English television presenter, best known as one half of the Hairy Bikers with the late Dave Myers. Together they presented a number of television cookery series for BBC television and launched an online weight loss programme, 'The Hairy Bikers Diet Club'. King retired on March 19, 2024 following Dave Myers's death.
King was born in Kibblesworth, then part of County Durham. An alumnus of St Robert of Newminster Catholic School in Washington, he once stated that he "went through a phase of wanting to be a priest when I was about 13, but soon discovered girls and music were way more interesting." [1] King's father served in the Royal Navy during World War II on the Arctic convoys and was then employed as a motorcycle despatch rider. [2]
At the age of 16, King worked laying paving stones for a construction firm. [1] He then worked in film and television production. He was assistant location manager on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone [3] and location manager on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets . [4] He met Dave Myers in 1995 on the set of a TV drama entitled The Gambling Man on which he was the second assistant director. [5]
The duo first appeared on the BBC's The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook . Their TV shows are a mixture of cookery and travelogue, using a similar style to that previously associated with chef Keith Floyd, including the habit of frequently referring to the cameraman and other crew. Most shows featured the pair riding motorbikes, including the BMW R1200GS, F650GS [6] [7] and Triumph Rocket III.
In summer 2009, they filmed a 30-part daytime series for BBC Two, The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain , which aired weekdays starting on 24 August 2009. The series saw them visit a different county each day and cook what they considered to be that county's signature dish. [8] A new six-part series titled The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best commenced broadcast in early January 2010 on BBC Two. [9]
On 25 October 2010, a new 40 episode series, The Hairy Bikers' Cook Off, was launched on BBC Two. The programme includes a cook off between two families, and celebrity guests. From January to May 2010, the Hairy Bikers performed their "Big Night Out" show in theatres throughout the UK. Directed by Bob Mortimer, the show was a fun mixture of cooking and chat with a little song and dance thrown in. It explored their youth, how they met and their love of food. In June 2011, the Bikers appeared in the second series of Mum Knows Best. The series, made up of eight episodes, featured three 'Star Mums' whose recipes were tested and shared with the public. [10]
October 2011 saw a new series, Meals on Wheels, air on BBC Two. The series fronted a campaign to save local 'meals on wheels' services around the UK. [11] From November to December 2011, the Bikers appeared in a 30-part BBC series called Hairy Bikers: Best of British, airing at 3:45 pm on BBC Two (apart from the show's final week, in which it aired on BBC One). The series celebrated British recipes and championed local produce. In January 2012, continuing into February, BBC Two showed hour long re-versions including recipes from various episodes of the series. [12]
After they had signed new contracts with the BBC in 2011, a new series was commissioned. The Hairy Biker's Bakeation sees Si and Dave doing what they love best – a gastronomic road trip, uncovering the best baking on offer across Europe, from Norway, the Low Countries (Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg), Germany, Eastern Europe (Slovakia, Hungary and Romania), Austria, Italy and France to Spain. [13]
In March 2012, Good Food commissioned The Hairy Biker's Mississippi Adventure, the duo's first series for the channel. In August 2012, Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight showed how the Hairy Bikers radically changed lifestyles, but stayed true to their love of great food, as they embarked on a campaign to lose two-and-a-half stone (15.8 kg (35 lb)) in three months, and comfortably passed their target weights. [14]
In 2014, King suffered an intracranial aneurysm from which he recovered after hospital treatment. [15]
In September 2017, along with his 'Hairy Bikers' partner Dave Myers, he was initiated into the showbusiness charity the Grand Order of Water Rats. They were both sponsored by Rick Wakeman. [16]
King is a supporter of Premier League football team Newcastle United F.C. King lives near Newcastle and has three children. [17]
Yorkshire pudding is a baked pudding made from a batter of eggs, flour, and milk or water. A common English side dish, it is a versatile food that can be served in numerous ways depending on its ingredients, size, and the accompanying components of the meal. As a first course, it can be served with onion gravy. For a main course, it may be served with meat and gravy, and is part of the traditional Sunday roast, but can also be filled with foods such as bangers and mash to make a meal. Sausages can be added to make toad in the hole. In some parts of England, the Yorkshire pudding can be eaten as a dessert, with a sweet sauce called raspberry vinegar. The 18th-century cookery writer Hannah Glasse was the first to use the term "Yorkshire pudding" in print.
Diet food refers to any food or beverage whose recipe is altered to reduce fat, carbohydrates, and/or sugar in order to make it part of a weight loss program or diet. Such foods are usually intended to assist in weight loss or a change in body type, although bodybuilding supplements are designed to increase weight.
Glamorgan sausage is a traditional Welsh vegetarian sausage for which the main ingredients are cheese, leeks and breadcrumbs. It is named after the historic county of Glamorgan in Wales.
Dame Mary Rosa Alleyne Hunnings is an English food writer, chef, baker and television presenter. After being encouraged in domestic science classes at school, she studied catering at college. She then moved to France at the age of 22 to study at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school, before working in a number of cooking-related jobs.
The Hairy Bikers were a pair of English celebrity chefs comprising David Myers and Si King, whose television programmes combined cooking with motorcycling travelogue. Between 2004 and 2024 they hosted over 30 television series and specials for BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 5, and Good Food, and wrote a number of tie-in cookbooks.
The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook is a BBC television cookery and travel programme, that has so far run for four series and a Christmas special. It is presented by The Hairy Bikers; Dave Myers and Si King, both of whom are from northern England, as they travel around the world on their motorbikes tasting the local cuisine, and experimenting with making it themselves. They also talk about the culture and the history of the area that they are visiting, with a sense of humour and passion that has been praised by critics and fans.
Rachel Allen is an Irish celebrity chef, known for her work on television and as a writer. She has often appeared on Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ).
Dundee cake is a traditional Scottish fruit cake.
The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain is a 2009 BBC television cookery programme which is presented by The Hairy Bikers: Dave Myers and Si King.
The Great British Bake Off is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, attempting to impress two judges with their baking skills. One contestant is eliminated in each round, and the winner is selected from the three contestants who reach the final.
Catherine Fulvio is an Irish TV chef, food writer, author, and the owner of Ballyknockan House and Cookery School.
Thomas Kerridge is an English chef. After initially appearing in several small television parts as a child actor, he decided to attend culinary school at the age of 18. He has since worked at a variety of British restaurants, including the Rhodes in the Square and Adlards.
The second series of The Great British Bake Off started 14 August 2011 with twelve amateur bakers. Unlike series one, the competition was held in a single location – the grounds of Valentines Mansion, a 17th-century mansion house in Redbridge. In addition to their on-screen presenting, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins also took over the narration, which had been done by Stephen Noonan for the previous series. Series two also introduced the "star baker" award for the most impressive performer each week.
David James Myers was an English television presenter, and one half of the Hairy Bikers, along with Si King. He also appeared on the BBC celebrity talent show Strictly Come Dancing. Together, Myers and King presented a number of television cookery series for the BBC. They also launched an online weight loss programme, 'The Hairy Bikers Diet Club'.
The Hairy Bikers' Asian Adventure is a British cookery and travel show presented by The Hairy Bikers, Dave Myers and Simon King. It follows them travelling around Asia trying the local cuisine, meeting local people and cooking some native dishes themselves. The series began airing on 13 February 2014 on BBC Two.
How to Cheat at Cooking is a cookbook by television chef Delia Smith, published in 2008 by Ebury Publishing. It was her first book following her How To Cook series, and had a television series based on the same recipes on BBC Two. Following publication, Smith was criticised by other chefs due to the use of certain ingredients such as canned minced lamb, and by nutritionists because of the level of salt in some of the recipes. The book increased the sales of several products, described as the "Delia Effect", and has been credited with an increase in the sales of tinned meat over the following two years.
Ruby Alice Tandoh is a British baker, columnist, author, and former model. She was runner-up on series four of BBC's The Great British Bake Off in 2013 and has written four cookbooks. Her 2021 Cook as You Are was named to several best-of lists. Her online debates with many in the UK food world have also drawn attention.
Nadiya Jamir Hussain is a British television chef, author and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the sixth series of BBC's The Great British Bake Off in 2015. Since winning, she has signed contracts with the BBC to host the documentary The Chronicles of Nadiya and TV cookery series Nadiya's British Food Adventure and Nadiya's Family Favourites; co-presented The Big Family Cooking Showdown; and has become a regular contributor on The One Show.
Denby Dale Pies is a manufacturer of pies founded in 2001 in the "Pie Village" of Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, England. Their products are sold in branches of Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose, Co-op Food, Asda, Morrisons and Booths.