The Hairy Bikers star Si King will be the face of a new travel show, marking his solo return to screens following the death of his co-star and best friend Dave Myers.
The TV chef and presenter, 58, will star in a forthcoming four-part series on Channel 4’s More4, titled Top Of The Stops, which will see him traverse the UK railway network to discover the stories behind Britain’s most unique stations.
A statement released by the broadcaster says King, a train enthusiast, will “explore stunning examples of the nation’s engineering and architecture as he disembarks at some of the country’s most eclectic train stations”. He will be accompanied on the series by transport historian Siddy Holloway and architect Damion Burrows.
The show will mark King’s TV comeback after appearing in last year’s special The Hairy Bikers: You'll Never Walk Alone, which saw 46,000 motorcyclists embark on a 30-mile ride in honour of Myers in an event called “Dave Day”.
Myers died in February 2024, aged 66, after being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. The pair became known for travelling the world on their motorbikes and their cookery books inspired by their travels.
The pair’s final show together, Hairy Bikers Go West, aired just a week after Myers’ death and gave a glimpse into how King had been supporting Myers during his cancer treatment. The series included a scene showing Myers leaving filming to go to a hospital appointment while King told cameras he “missed” his best mate while filming without him.
In an interview with The Observer after Myers’ death, King ruled out the possibility of continuing the Hairy Bikers TV shows without his co-star.
“It can’t be the Hairy Bikers 2.0,” he said. “That’s not going to happen. It wouldn’t be respectful.”
King explained he was not only mourning the death of his friend, but also the life and career that they shared together.
“There’s obviously the sense of losing your best mate,” he said. “But there’s also a sense of loss in that the experiences we had together can’t go on.”
He told The Sunday Times that the loss of his friend had been a “struggle” and he had been on the “verge of jumping on my bike and heading into the sunset” more than once.
“Not tell anyone where I was going. Just clear off and never come back.
“Other times I was raging. Raging at that bloody disease, at God and anything else I could think of. People were asking what I was going to do next.”
King has continued to honour Myers’ legacy by posting regular “Friday flashback” posts on the Hairy Bikers’ social media accounts, and sharing fond memories about his late friend.
Clemency Green, Channel 4's senior commissioning editor for lifestyle, said of King’s new project: “As the rail network turns 200 years old, this series will spotlight the best of our country's engineering history in a different way.
“We're honoured Si will be presenting his first series for More4, and Yeti will no doubt deliver a captivating series that viewers will love to escape into.”
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