One of the best has left us
BBC
I am deeply saddened by the death of Dave Myers, one half of the Hairy Bikers. I've been a fan of the Bikers for many years; I cooked their food, enjoyed their enthusiasm for motorcycles and all things Northern, and even thought of them as friends. And yet I never met either Si or Dave. Now, sadly, I will never have the pleasure of meeting Dave.
Sometimes people we work with can be a pain; however Si and Dave had a chemistry that produced a partnership more than the sum of their two halves. This partnership of equals was so often expressed in recipes that took humble ingredients and made them into something special, from their love of food and cooking. Try this, for example. But it was an instinctive chemistry born out of a true friendship; their relationship was always respectful and never angry, when they differed it never descended into 'banter'. They were able to express their love for each other, something most men find extraordinarily difficult. This was especially clear in the last series as Dave fought his now terminal illness with such courage.
Some partnerships can be a marriage of unequal talent but they are just as successful - Morecambe and Wise worked because Eric, 'the funny one', was reliant on Ernie, 'the less funny one', to feed him lines and give direction and context to his humour. Ernie was funny, but not without Eric. Stan Laurel refused to perform after his great buddy Oliver Hardy died.
I hope we will still see Si King, but it will be in a different role without Dave.
Employees often have to share work with another person. It can be trying, but it can also be a gift; for many years I enjoyed a working relationship and friendship with a colleague who made me better at my job, and as a duo we were more than the sum of our skills. It is a continuing friendship that has long outlasted the working relationship.
It may be, however, that your role is as a supporting partner to the main talent. If so, remember how valuable you are. Remember how much Ernie meant to Eric. Or Ollie to Stan.