With their zest for both adventure and food and their laugh-out-loud capacity for fun, the Hairy Bikers, Simon and Dave, make a very entertaining pair, travelling on their motorbikes to the ends of the earth in search of great food.

The journeys are exciting, the locations and people are fascinating and the food is delicious, if not rather unpredictable - often caught by the boys and then prepared and cooked by the side of a river, on a boat or on the beach.

In their latest series, they journey through the Deep South in the Hairy Bikers Mississippi Adventure.

Simon and Dave aren't professional chefs but they are lifelong food lovers. They met through work on the set of a TV drama and ever since they've been heading off to far-flung corners of the globe in search of culinary and cultural experiences.

You might also have seen these two jolly foodies on Bakeation, Best of British, Meals on Wheels, The Hairy Bikers' cook Off, Mums know Best and the Hairy Bakers.

Simon King

Simon King is a big, blond-bearded biker from Newcastle, where he lives with his partner and three children. His infectious laugh and friendly charm have served him well for many years working as a first assistant director and locations manager for film and television, recently working on the Harry Potter films.

But it's his passion for food, encouraged from an early age by his father - who'd bring back exotic ingredients from his voyages with the Royal Navy - that really matters to Simon. Luckily his enthusiasm is matched by that of his children who are more than happy to try out new kinds of food.

David Myers

Dave Myers was born and bred in Barrow-in-Furness and his versatile skills have taken him to some unusual places. He worked as a furnaceman in a steelworks to finance his Master's degree in fine arts before joining the BBC as a make-up artist, specialising in prosthetics. He has worked on many feature films and television series, including 'Lives and Loves of a She Devil', and the BBC One hit 'Spooks'.

His career has taken him from Hollywood to the African deserts and he's travelled extensively away from work too. Dave currently lives on Roa Island, in Morecambe bay, where he's Club Champion of the boat club.

The Hairy Bikers website

Books
The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight, W&N, 2 Aug 2012
The Hairy Bikers' Big Book of Baking, W&N, Mar 2012
The Hairy Bikers' Perfect Pies: The Ultimate Pie Bible from the Kings of Pies, W&N, Oct 2011
Mums Still Know Best: The Hairy Bikers' Best-Loved Recipes, W&N, Feb 2011
Mums Still Know Best: The Hairy Bikers' Best-Loved Recipes
Mums Know Best: The Hairy Bikers' Family Cookbook, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Jan 2010
The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain
The Hairy Bikers Ride Again, Michael Joseph Ltd, 2007
The Hairy Bikers Cookbook, Michael Joseph Ltd, 2006