Aussie larrikin personalities are a staple of Australian culture.
Hamish and Andy and The Inspired Unemployed are a few that come to mind straight away, with their second-to-none quick wit and hilarious antics, you can’t help wanting to be best mates with them, and that’s exactly the mantra of the Hit Network’s brand new Nights shift duo, Jimmy & Nath.
While not strangers to the mic, the boys were promoted from co-hosts on Hot Nights with Abbie Chatfield to taking over the show completely after Chatfield’s departure in August.
Starting their radio careers in 2015, the best mates first found a home on Hobart’s Hit100.9, claiming the #1 Breakfast Show in 2021. After moving to the national Hit Network in 2022, The Jimmy & Nath Show began broadcasting around the country for Weekend Breakfast, as well as being regular fill-ins for Carrie & Tommy in National Drive.
Six ACRA award nominations and a world-first broadcast atop Mt Wellington later, The Jimmy & Nath Show have garnered themselves a mainstay appearance across the Hit Network every weeknight from 7 – 10 pm, and the lads couldn’t be happier.
Mediaweek sat down with the boys to discuss the transition to a fully-fledged show, the pressure that comes with that and what the future looks like for the duo.
In the Hot Seat
Nath said that taking over Hot Nights hasn’t been really much of a change at all, the only difference is the name.
“We’ve been doing radio for so long, we just love the medium and love being able to create the show that we want to create,” he said.
“Taking over Abbs, it’s sort of just more of what we’re used to and what we love, but now called The Jimmy & Nath Show.
“We want to bring in as many people as possible in just the biggest sandbox and do the show that we love, and hope everyone is enjoying it.”
Nath also expressed that the boys don’t feel any pressure at all upon shifting into the main spotlight of weeknights, in fact, they thrive under it.
“We thrive under pressure. We love tight deadlines. We love the pressure and the liveness of it all as well. I guess that’s what drew us to radio in the first place,” he said.
“I mean, do we feel the pressure? No, not really, because we’ve been doing this and we’ve been best mates for such a long time that when one of us is feeling the pressure, the other person will ease it, and vice versa.”
Laying Down The Tracks
It’s clear that mateship is paramount to the boys, and without it, they wouldn’t have a show. Jimmy discusses how it is their relationship that keeps their show fresh and new for listeners every night they tune in.
“Because we are best mates and always hang out, it’s very easy for Nath and I to text back and forth about something you’ve seen on the news or in the paper or on TikTok or Instagram to chat about on the show.
“We’ve got a bigger team now which is great. They’re really helpful as well and we are big on other people pitching us ideas and doing our job for us,” he joked.
For the time being, The Jimmy & Nath Show is in no rush, and the boys have the belief that the next opportunity will present itself at some point in time, but their foreseeable future is radio, and they believe it has so much to offer them and their careers.
“In terms of the future of the show, we want to kill Carrie and Tom. You know, some sort of van, black bags but only of course for a radio segment,” Jimmy joked.
“In all seriousness, the steam train keeps going and I feel like we’re only just getting started. There are probably a lot of people who have only heard of us recently but Nath and I have been plugging away behind the scenes and we are really in no rush.”
“The Jimmy & Nath Show exists, not just on the radio airwaves, but we treat it like a steam engine, we just keep shovelling stuff into it and merrily we go along down the track that keeps building through our further exposure from our new show,” Nath said.
“Something we really pride ourselves on is that our show is a show for everybody and it’s something we want everyone to be a part of. To us, that’s what real success is, when people want to get involved and join the family.”
Listen to The Jimmy & Nath Show on weeknights from 7 – 10 pm across the Hit Network, also on LiSTNR.
See also: “Absolutely brilliant”: Dave Cameron celebrates SCA’s Survey 5 radio ratings results