Dave Myers – updates: Si King leads tributes as Hairy Bikers stars dies aged 66

They met on the set of TV drama The Gambling Man in 1995 and formed a close personal and professional bond.

On an episode of BBC comedy panel show Would I Lie To You?, Myers revealed that he was trapped in a merchant bank while a security guard at the age of 22.

He said he ended up shut in there from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day evening in 1980 because there was no relief and he was not given the keys for the bank.

While appearing on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, Myers and King struggled to get a fruit pudding out of dish.

And despite Myers slamming the bowl down on the table a few times and King stepping in to help, the pudding came out collapsed.

He joked: “Generally it just relaxes, a bit like when my wife takes her Spanx off.”

While laughing on air, they tried to save the pudding by putting some berries and herbs on for decoration.

Myers said he did not want to specify the type of cancer he had because he felt as though the public might start drawing conclusions about his health.

Myers told The Guardian in 2022 that he decided not to disclose what type of cancer he had “because everybody then goes Googling, everybody becomes an amateur doctor… And I don’t want to be judged – yet.”

Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer at the BBC, said that the public loved Myers.

Moore said in a statement: “Everyone at the BBC is incredibly sad to hear this news.”

“Dave made cooking a truly joyful adventure and he shared that joy with millions. The public loved him and his unique partnership with Si. Together they made every viewer feel like a friend. More than that he was simply a lovely man. Our thoughts go out to his family and many friends.”

Presenters Kym Marsh and Gethin Jones were visibly emotional as they paid tribute to Myers.

Taking a deep breath, Jones read out a statement from the Hairy Bikers star’s family,

He said: “We have met Dave so many times and he was just such a lovely smiley person.”

Marsh added: “He was such a gorgeous human being.”

The Hairy Bikers met on the set of TV drama The Gambling Man in 1995 and formed a close personal and professional relationship.

“At lunch most of the crew were ordering salads and mineral water at the local pub, while I was having a curry and two pints of larger.” King told The Independent.

“When Dave came in he took one look at my lunch and went, ‘I’ll have what he’s having!’ Pretty quickly we discovered that we both loved eating, drinking and motorcycling.”

Chef and presenter Matt Tebbutt has said Dave Myers was “always a joy” to have cooking on Saturday Kitchen.

In an Instagram post, the host of BBC show wrote: “One of the good guys, seriously funny, genuinely nice and always a joy to have him and Si on the show.

“It goes without saying that he will be sorely missed.”

Food critic Jay Rayner wrote on X/Twitter: “This is very sad news. Dave was a brilliant cook, a superb communicator and most of all a seriously lovely man.”

“My thoughts are with his family and of course Si.”

“Everyone at The One Show is deeply saddened to hear the news that Dave Myers of the Hairy Bikers has died. Our thoughts go out to his friends, family and his many fans, who will miss him greatly.”

He explained he was still undergoing treatment for cancer and he had dedicated recipes in their new book to the nurses who had cared for him.