Pies, patter and a 'propa' good time with Si King
A warm, witty double bill on the Hairy Biker's native Tyneside is on the menu at Live Theatre next week
Si King will be taking to a home turf stage in Newcastle next week for a festive two-nighter at Live Theatre - and he’s bringing a trunk full of North East humour, a lifetime of stories… and a pie for every audience member*.
*You can win a pair of tickets to one of the shows - details at the end.
Running across two evenings, Si King’s Propa Night Oot! marks the latest step in the Hairy Biker’s solo journey, almost two years after the untimely death of his long-time friend and co-adventurer Dave Myers.
Si’s inaugural solo tour - which also included the 59-year-old playing alongside a trio of lifelong musical pals - was understandably emotionally charged. A chance to grieve with audiences as much as perform for them.
“I wanted my opportunity to say goodbye with our fans… I found each performance pretty hard to get through,” he says. “But I was sure Dave would be happy I was doing it - just as I would have been for him.”
Propa Night Oot! is different: gentler, looser, more like a night down the pub with a mate who happens to have spent a career on the road, cooking in kitchens and telling millions about it via the telly and a catalogue of best-selling books.
“This time round, it’s more in conversation with,” he continues. “So I’ll be having a bit of chat… then me and Rory - the executive chef at Propa [more of that later] - will demo making a little pie.”
That pie is no mere prop. Every ticket holder will tuck into a Propa Pie during the interval, freshly made at Si’s Sunderland kitchen and showcased live on stage before the break.
“We’ll demo it at the end of the first half and then people go off, eat their pie and come back, and then it’s a Q and A… It’s basically two nights of silliness and good chat,” he says.
While Si has spent the best part of 25 years as one half of one of Britain’s most beloved double acts, stepping out alone required more than professional recalibration.
“Yes, I didn’t really know what it was going to do,” he reflects. “I had no appetite to do it… but then people are saying, ‘Well, look, you know, it would be a good opportunity to tell people who you are, because you’ve been part of a double act for so long.’”
Si says he relishes the relaxed rapport with audiences: “It’s always incredibly flattering to have so many people feel like they know you and want to have a chat. I’ve never understood these entitled people who don’t want to talk to the people who pay their wages!”
The Live Theatre dates also mark almost a year since the opening of the aforementioned Propa Pies at Sunderland’s Sheepfolds - serving hearty British comfort food made with ingredients sourced, where possible, within a 50-mile radius.
It’s rooted in nostalgia and the dishes the team grew up on and champions local producers while offering affordable, no-nonsense “propa bait”.
Si says it’s a business he sees as firmly rooted in local community rather than commercial ambition.
“It’s going great - thanks to the community of Sunderland and the wider community in the North East as well,” he says. “We’ve had Geordies come over that have never been to Sunderland in their lives - just to come and have a pie!”
Any suggestion that Propa Pies could become the next Greggs is straightforwardly waved away. “I’m a committed socialist… it’s not about exponential growth, which seems to be the obsession these days. It’s about serving your community with good food.
“If the opportunity to bring Propa to Newcastle arises, then of course that would be something we’d love to do - but always in the North East and always sticking to what we wanted to do at the beginning.”
The Propa Night Oot! dates at Live Theatre (December 16 and 17) are just for Newcastle - as the name suggests! - as Si prepares for a busy 2026.
In January, his first major TV outing without Dave will air on Channel 4’s More4 - a four-part series (working title, Top of the Stops) during which he explores the history, architecture and hidden stories of the UK’s railway stations.
There are also plans for another recipe book, more gigs with North East band Groovetrain and “loads more I can’t say much about yet”.
But before all that, after the last pie is finished at Live Theatre, Si is looking forward to a laidback Christmas: “I’m abdicating all responsibility. I’m going down to my eldest son’s to spend it with him, his wife and my two grandchildren… they’re going to be in the kitchen and I can be granddad on the sofa.”
Si King’s Propa Night Oot! is at Live Theatre, Newcastle on Tuesday and Wednesday (Dec 16 and 17). For tickets, visit www.live.org.uk or call the box office on 0191 232 1232. All tickets include a pie!
COMPETITION!
We’ve got a pair of tickets for either one of Si’s Live Theatre shows to give away to a Cultured. North East reader.
To enter, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk with the subject line: I want to eat one of Si’s Propa Pies by Sunday (December 14) at noon. The winner, who will be selected at random, will be notified within six hours of the entry deadline.
Terms and conditions: Prizes are as stated - subject to availability - and non-transferable. No cash alternatives will be offered. You must be over 18 years of age to enter. The Editor’s decision is final.