I must admit I didn't really know what to expect from the Hairy Bikers during their Larger than Live show.  I'll be totally upfront and say that they are not my TV chefs of choice and I was completely unfamiliar with them, save for catching a few minutes of them making Zebra burgers (the mind boggles) on the Good Food channel.  Slightly concerned that their cooking may be so far removed from an average evening in the Girl Friday household, but never a one to pass up an evening out, I put my glad rags on and headed on down to the Alhambra.  

I had never been to the Alhambra before, I have led a sheltered life, but was plesantly surprised to find that it's a lovely theatre, very quaint and comfortable.  The only downside was that the toilet cubicles in the ladies are the smallest I have ever encountered but it wouldn't put me off visiting the theatre in the future.  

The Hairy Bikers, Si King and Dave Myers, took to the stage on armchairs come motorbikes and the banter ensued.  Si and Dave were really quite funny and seemed to be enjoying themselves on stage.  Their energy and enthusiam was infectious and they soon had the crowd laughing along and joining in, singing, shouting and heckling!  

There were a number of film clips shown on a a large screen throughout the performance and the clips were used to good effect.  

Two meals were cooked during the performance, neither of which contained Zebra, which was a relief, both of which smelled amazing!  Four 'volunteers' (two in the first half, two in the second) were chosen to sit on stage and eat the meal in front of the audience.  Despite having already eaten my stomach was rumbling with the aromas ... I need to have that low fat chicken Jalfrezi recipe.  

Talking of low fat, I know they guys have done amazingly well with their weight loss, massive congratulations to them.  Be warned though, they do remove their clothing several times during the show, I don't know if this is a new habit since the weight loss or whether they have always done this during performances, but this experience may not be for everyone.  

There was further audience participation during the evening with a Wheel of Fortune style game show where two audience members were 'invited' up on stage to take part and win prizes.  The prizes were cookbooks, wooden spoons, etc.

My friend who organised our night out was slightly disappointed that there wasn't an opportunity for a book signing as she had brought her Hairy Biker's cookbook with her.  I did suggest hanging out by the back door of the Alhambra like a couple of groupies but this seemed to be taking things too far so we did the only sensible thing and went for cocktails!  

It was a great night, a good laugh and an inspiration to try some new recipes!