The Hairy Bikers have parked their bikes and migrated to a studio for their new show in which they challenge families to compete for the title of Britain’s Best Cooking Family.

THE set of the new Hairy Bikers television show is kitted out like a Fifties’ diner, complete with retro pinball machine, and red and white chequered floor tiles. The audience sit around tables on bar stools, sipping from HB-branded coffee cups and waiting for the double act to appear.

Minutes later, in stroll Si King (the blond, Geordie one) and Dave Myers (the dark-haired, bespectacled one) both dressed down in jeans and shirts, and before the cameras roll, they “have a little craic” with the audience.

“This is a real departure for us, because there’s no grass – there are walls and a roof,” King jokes, and he’s right. We’re used to seeing the pair jaunt across the world on their motorbikes, stopping off to chinwag with the locals and find out where the best food can be found.

But this time round they’re trying their hand at a studio show, teaching viewers how to make tip-top dinners in seven minutes and challenging families to compete for the title of Britain’s Best Cooking Family.

Today, we’ve got the Bayliss family and the Edmund- Jones clan cooking up a storm to impress the Hairy judges. Also in the studio is comedian and actor Hardeep Singh Kohli, who’s taken up the daily celebrity spot to cook an oxtail curry for King and Myers. With his beard and jolly demeanour, he doesn’t look out of place beside the Bikers, and mouthwatering smells of cumin and cardamom are wafting from his stove.

Some time – and lots of cooking – later, King and Myers wipe sweat from their brows and settle down with a bottle of water to talk about their new show.

“It’s different to what we’re used to, but we’ve been mates for 20 years, so when opportunities like these come along there’s this little demon going, ‘Shall we do it, for a laugh?’” says Myers, 53.

Although the filming schedule is solid (two shows a day for 20 days) and they’re away from their families – and their bikes – from the grins on their faces, the gamble has evidently paid off.

“It’s a new environment for Dave and me, but it’s still a celebration of food, and the enthusiasm of the families is infectious,” says 43-year-old Si.

The celebrity element is also new, with guests including Jo Wood, Bill Oddie and Miss Marple star Julia McKenzie dropping in to cook a dish.

“We had John Humphreys making a lamb curry.

It was like the Today programme, we challenged him about everything. It was really good fun.”

King adds: “It’s interesting seeing people around food because they chill out a bit.”

The Bikers are used to being around celebrities though, having started their careers behind the scenes on TV. King was a locations manager and Myers was the BBC’s first male make-up and prosthetics artist. They got talking on the set of a Catherine Cookson drama after being the only two people to order a curry instead of a sandwich during a crew lunch at the pub.

Given his professional background, being based at the BBC’s Television Centre in London is a bit strange for Myers, whose career has, geographically, come full circle.

“I started off 30 years ago in this building, getting the tea. I worked on Blake’s 7 in the studio next door. I find that quite amusing – I used to get Deborah Kerr her sausage rolls,” he says.

The pair have come a long way as the Hairy Bikers, and they now find it hard to go anywhere without being recognised. “We’re always asked the same three questions,” Myers says. “If we’re on our own we get, ‘Where’s your mate, then?’ If we’re in a car it’s, ‘Where’s your bike, then?’ And if you’re having a meal, we get, ‘You’re not cooking, then?’”

“Dave and I flew into Marrakech, we got off the plane and the pilot said, ‘Hello lads. Not on your bikes, then?’” King says, cracking up.

They’ve even had the odd starry moment although, true to their down-to-earth nature, the ones they flag up are more funny than impressive.

“Lionel Blair came bouncing up once and said, ‘I love you two’. We also went to Singapore for the launch of BBC Global, and they sent us out with James Martin, Ray Mears and the Teletubbies,”

Myers says.

“We can say that we have been drunk with a Teletubbie,” King adds proudly.