Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The Hairy Bikers, David Myers and Simon King, have become television cooking icons with their easy banter, superb knowledge of their craft and their towering personalities. These two men have made a contribution to the idea of combining cooking with the noble idea of the original B.B.C. mantra of Inform, educate and entertain.

In their case by travelling round the country and to far flung corners and blending the food of those places with a soft approach to laddish humour. It appeals to both genders and provides relief from the cooking shows that in some quarters can look down on their audience.

By using this structure and letting the natural element of the Liverpool Empire Theatre, David Myers and Simon King performed some of their gastronomic delights infront of a full house and delighted audience and also became more cheekily risqué as the evening progressed. The show was not just about cooking but also focused on the humour that have made these two galloping gourmets household names.

One of the surrealist sights on offer to the packed audience was a film of the two men being given a rudimentary dance lesson by Strictly Come Dancing’s Kristina Rihanof and Robin Windsor.  The two stars of the television programme sent themselves up perfectly and provided a more comical outlook on the serious nature of dance. This was quickly followed up by the two cheery cooks coming on stage in dance attire but not quite in the way the audience may have initially expected.

Throughout it all though, the real stars of the evening at the Empire Theatre was the food they cooked and gave hilarious asides as they prepared the food and got the audience’s taste buds salivating as they infused different flavours and diverse appreciations.

An evening with The Hairy Bikers was almost like no other at the Liverpool Empire and away from the live music and musical productions that the theatre puts on so well, this was a night in a million.

Ian D. Hall