The Hairy Bikers are back with a new BBC show after cancer battle

The Hairy Bikers are back with a new TV show called The Hairy Bikers Go West after one half of the dynamic duo, Dave Myers battled cancer. 

The new eight-part series for the BBC and iPlayer celebrates the amazing food producers, cuisine and vista of Britain’s west shores. 

Best friends Simon King, 56, and Dave, 65, will reunite in a celebration of enduring friendship, foodies’ passion and the people of this part of the world. 

They will travel from north to south discovering the producers, farmers and chefs that are contributing to a modern British culinary revolution. 

Starting in Scotland and riding all the way to Devon, this is the perfect trip for the Bikers to revisit places that are meaningful to their past, special locations where their friendship was forged, and locations linked to their family history. 

But it won’t all be familiar territory as they meet new friends and explore new scenery to cook mouth-watering recipes inspired by the diversity of the West coast. 

Their journey begins on Bute Island and travels through Dumfries & Galloway, Lancashire, Merseyside & the Isle of Man, North Wales, The Severn Estuary and Somerset, ending in Devon. 

Along the way, they’ll meet some of the best artisan food producers in the UK alongside award winning chefs and an incredible array of locals keen to share their passion for local produce. 

The announcement comes after Dave credited his new sauerkraut diet for boosting his immune system after getting back to work amid his cancer battle. 

Last month the chef returned to This Morning, alongside Simon for the first time since revealing his diagnosis in May 2022.

And now Dave says the fermented cabbage, a national dish in Germany, as well as other gut-friendly meals have helped him on his road to recovery.

‘It’s unbelievable to be back. Every breath I take now is just refreshing and fabulous. It varies really what food I’ve been having,’ he said. 

‘At some stage I need to put weight on but I need things to boost my immune system.

Road to recovery: Hairy Biker Dave has credited his new sauerkraut diet for boosting his immune system after returning to work amid his cancer battle

Throwback:  Dave says the fermented cabbage, a national dish in Germany, as well as other gut-friendly dishes have helped him on his road to recovery (pictured in 2022)

Slimmed down: In a new interview, the BBC star (left in 2021 and right recently) has detailed how his gruelling treatment has led him to lose ‘so much weight’ after having zero appetite

All smiles: The Hairy Bikers looked in great spirits as they attended the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards at London’s The Royal Exchange on May 11

‘So I’ve been eating a lot of sauerkraut. It really works for me – sauerkraut, kimchi and meatballs. I live by it. It’s a probiotic and good for the immune system and keeps you regular. I love it. It’s the healthy eating that does it,’ he told The Mirror.

Fermented food encourages beneficial bacteria in the gut, which is a key defence against infection — in fact, around 70 per cent of immune cells are found in the gut. 

By maintaining a healthy gut lining, you can prevent unwanted bacteria from ‘leaking’ into the gut and triggering an immune response, allowing your immune system to focus on fighting off everyday infections such as cold and flus. 

Upon his return to This Morning Dave looked like his old self again with the return of his iconic beard, following gruelling chemotherapy.

Appearing alongside Si, the pair whipped up some lamb koftas with a wholemeal couscous salad and lemon and tahini dressing while he provided a health update.

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were ecstatic to see their friend again, exclaiming he was ‘looking really well’. 

Dave gave an update on his health as he returned to TV screens, saying: ‘I’m doing very well and it’s so nice to be back. 

‘Yeah it’s work in progress but I’ve got my hair back and I’m feeling great. It’s the healthy eating you see that does it! No, I’m doing really well.’

Meanwhile Si joked: ‘He’s just as irritating so it’s great!’ and gave his best mate a kiss on the cheek. 

Speaking on Tommy Banks’ Seasoned podcast, he explained that he is still having chemotherapy for cancer after being diagnosed last year, and the side effects meant he could barely eat more than a can of soup.

He said: ”It’s funny, when you first start chemotherapy… it’s quite hard. I’m still having it. It really was brutal.

‘I lost so much weight and then it’s a battle to get your calories in.

‘At first I thought, ‘Right, this is great, I can eat all those pies I haven’t been eating for years’, except [my] appetite was dreadful!

‘For me, a glutton, losing my appetite was awful. A can of soup was about as far as I could go. Now I’ve got to the point where I’m at the weight I want to be, and I want to maintain it’.

Chemotherapy caused Dave to lose all of his hair, including his signature beard.

However, fans were delighted when the chef shared an Instagram snap from a recent night out, where the beard made a return. 

He previously said that his chemotherapy even affected his ability to walk, telling Kaye Adams on her How To Be 60 podcast: ‘I’m still having chemotherapy, but what I’m finding out now is you have to live with the cancer. It’s like a diabetic who needs insulin and constant care. That’s the state I’m in now.

‘By God, the chemotherapy doesn’t half age you quickly. Because your balance goes, so for someone with a motorbike that’s a disaster and my walking has been affected quite a lot, really.

‘But I’m going to go back to film this May, and we’re going to film around the chemo. That’s just the way it is really. 

The television presenter went on to explain how his treatment affected him so badly physically that he had to relearn how to walk.

‘I really have no symptoms of the cancer, it’s the chemotherapy, he said. ‘It’s neuropathy in your feet, so it’s hard to stand. So I’ve had to learn to walk again properly’

‘It’s a funny thing chemotherapy, it’s one of life’s great levellers. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the telly or on the dole, if you get that then you’re in the s**t. And sometimes the chemo does make you depressed.

‘It’s a type of chemical depression, and that’s really hard, because everyone is telling you to be positive, but when the chemistry in your body is not telling you that story, that’s harsh.

‘Hopefully there will be more positive chapters beyond this.’

And as part of looking to the future in a positive way has involved Dave buying a new motorbike to ride when he’s in a fit state.

He continued: ‘I’ve bought a new motorbike. In physio, they sit me on a Pilates ball and rock me from side to side, pretending I’m on the motorbike.

‘I have a rubber band under one foot and a rubber band under the other and I’m changing and braking and making motorbike noises.

‘They [the physios] are determined to get me back on the bike.’

He added: ‘There are so many more adventures I want to have. I don’t have to retire as long as people watch the programmes and buy the books I can crack on until I’m 110, as long as I can keep breathing.’