James Mathison's meteoric rise to the pinnacle of Australian television is an amazing - if brief - tale of ambition and determination. As the revered co-presenter of Australia's premiere talent show, James now enjoys the fame, fortune and admiration that can only exist at the top of a competitive industry. But it wasn't always that way...
As a child, James quickly developed a hunger for popular music, but the youngster had other dreams and desires. He longed to wear overalls, a large hat, drive a huge truck and pay no heed to speed limits. That's right - James was determined to become a fireman. But tragedy was to cut his dream short. In what was one of the most disappointing discoveries of his young life, James realised that fire was extremely hot. The life of a fireman was far too dangerous for our hero.
His other great passion was carpentry and after crafting an impressive spice rack, it seemed the youngster had found his calling. But once again, his dream turned to tragedy. On the verge of finishing his greatest woodwork masterpiece - a set of cork drink coasters – James suffered a terrible injury when he was pierced by a particularly large splinter. Carpentry, like fire-fighting, was a potentially life-threatening occupation. Another dream had ended.
James was lost, unable to imagine a life without passion. Suddenly he realised that he had always possessed one great natural talent – he was exceptionally good at speaking to people. And it was true. Everybody liked speaking to James. But who would possibly pay him to talk to people for a living? That's when James noticed Channel [V]'s national Reporter Search competition. For James and Channel V, the search was over.
Before James could scream "my splinter's on fire!", he entered a new world where his skills as a conversationalist were matched with his love for music. As the face of long-running series, Whatuwant, the gifted talker soon found a whole bunch of other people to chat to. As his on-air commitments extended to include shows like the Billabong [V] Bus Tour and coverage of Australia's biggest music festivals, James had a chance to talk to thousands of new friends. They talked to him on air, they talked to him at festivals, they talked to him on the streets… but our casual star's greatest chat was yet to come.
The Rolling Stones – arguably the greatest rock band of all time - searched for a special interviewer to help promote their new album. They considered Michael Parkinson, flirted with the idea of Molly Meldrum, imagined Ray Martin; but in the end there was only one choice. Who was the best person in the world to talk to? You guessed it. Suddenly James was flying across the globe to personally chat to The Stones.
As James approached peak chatting performance, a fresh challenge was looming – one that would change the history of Australian television history and expose the greatest young talents of the new millennium. On the eve of Australian Idol, Series 1, show executives searched for an on-air personality with wit, charm, empathy and nerves of steel. Once again, it was time to talk to James Mathison.
Back again for Series 4, Australian Idol is proudly co-presented by James, the humble sex symbol who can speak a thousand words by raising one eyebrow. Australian Idol's unassuming maverick of live television has returned. Welcome back, James.
