Broadcaster, cook and author Si King is moving further into digital content with the launch of his own YouTube channel, Si King Official, creating a new home for original cooking, travel and motorbike content.

The channel, which launches on September 23, will be operated by King's North East- and France-based independent production company Magnetic North Productions. Content will include new recipes and cooking films alongside travel around the UK and overseas, with King also sharing stories, tips and practical advice from a life spent on the road.

The move marks a further expansion of King's career as a solo broadcaster following the death of his long-time friend and Hairy Bikers co-presenter Dave Myers in February 2024.

King and Myers first met in 1995 while working on the television drama The Gambling Man. Myers was working in prosthetics, hair and make-up, while King was working in production. They subsequently became the Hairy Bikers, combining motorbike travel, cooking and humor in a television partnership that lasted two decades.

Myers died aged 66 on February 28, 2024, following a cancer diagnosis. King announced his friend's death, describing Myers as his "best friend" and saying he would miss him every day.

The pair's final television series together, The Hairy Bikers Go West, was airing around the time of Myers' death. King subsequently continued developing his own broadcasting career, while retaining the food, travel and motorcycling interests that had defined the Hairy Bikers.

For the new YouTube channel, King said the aim is to create a direct connection with viewers around the subjects he is most passionate about.

He added that the platform gives him the opportunity to put time and energy into projects he is genuinely passionate about and to make content "on my own terms."

King already has an audience of around 1.4 million followers across social media, providing an established base from which to build the new channel.

Banijay Entertainment label Aurora Factual is working with King and Magnetic North on the channel's strategy, positioning and launch.

The company is also supporting publishing, audience development and potential brand partnerships, reflecting the increasingly important role YouTube plays as a commercial outlet for established television talent.

Aurora director of development Sarah Stevenson said brands were already showing interest in working directly with King through the channel, arguing that the project demonstrates the growing importance of talent having greater ownership and control over their digital presence.

Magnetic North co-director François Gandolfi said the production company had already assembled a slate of original films for launch, but described the YouTube project as having ambitions beyond its initial programming.

With Magnetic North involved both in producing the content and representing King's wider output, Gandolfi said the companies were already exploring international opportunities for the format and King's content.

The arrangement gives the project three complementary components: King's existing audience and on-screen profile, Magnetic North's production capabilities, and Aurora's expertise in developing YouTube audiences and commercial partnerships.

The launch also comes as King continues to establish a solo identity while retaining the themes that made him famous.

King remains a regular on ITV's This Morning, where he has a cooking slot, and in January 2026 he made his solo presenting debut in Britain's Favorite Railway Stations with Si King on More4.

The four-part series, which began airing on January 8, saw King explore railway stations and heritage railway locations alongside Siddy Holloway and architect Damion Burrows. The programm examined stations not simply as transport hubs but as places connected to history, engineering and local communities.

The new digital venture therefore extends an approach King has already begun developing on television: combining food and travel with conversations, local stories and a strong sense of place.

It also comes ahead of King's first solo cookery book, Proper Home Cooking, which is scheduled for publication on October 8, 2026.

For King, YouTube offers a different proposition from traditional television. Rather than being constrained by a conventional broadcast slot or series order, Si King Official can provide an ongoing outlet for recipes, road trips and shorter-form material while allowing him to communicate directly with an audience that already follows him online.

And although the Hairy Bikers' partnership ended with Myers' death, the new channel retains many of the ingredients that defined their television success: cooking, motorcycles, travel, people and a willingness to explore places through food.

The difference is that this time, the project is King's own.