Simon 'Si' King has admitted experiencing 'guilt' when returning to film his solo programme following the death of his Hairy Bikers co-star Dave Myers. Myers, who became famous alongside King on the BBC cooking and motorcycling show, died aged 66 in 2024 after a cancer diagnosis.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, King described the experience as 'odd' and said he felt guilty doing something without his lifelong friend. 'The first year, I didn't want to do anything at all, I just didn't have it in me and then when I was shooting the show, I felt a sense of guilt that I was doing something when he wasn't there,' he told Lauren Laverne.
King, who fronted Channel 4's Top of the Stops as his first solo project, added that the creative shorthand with his crew returned quickly, but it was 'just odd that he wasn't there.' He also discussed the pressures of the Hairy Bikers' success, including working 200 days a year, which he said contributed to his separation from his ex-wife Jane.
He explained that the demanding schedule made him 'emotionally inconsistent' and 'completely lost' himself, but noted that it was a private matter for his family. The full interview airs on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds from Sunday March 29 at 10am.
