Two of Australia’s most versatile entertainers, Natalie Bassingthwaighte (Nat Bass) and Matthew Johnson (Matty J), have come together to produce the Nova Network’s first pop culture podcast, The Babble.
They will discuss the biggest, weirdest and most interesting topics from television and pop culture on Tuesday and Thursdays each week, injecting a dose of humour, reality and honesty to some of the most loved television moments with insights, opinions and lots of laughs.
Nat Bass is one of Australia’s most talented all-round entertainers, achieving success as an actor, musician, presenter and author and she says, “I am super excited to join Matty J for my very first podcast The Babble. Having firsthand knowledge of reality TV with So You Think You Can Dance, The X Factor and of course I’m a Celebrity and Matty J being my personal favourite Bachelor, we are ready to get down and dirty with all things reality TV – nothing will be off limits.”
Matty J is well equipped to talk all things popular culture/reality TV after being unlucky in love on The Bachelorette, before finding true love with Laura Byrne in 2017 as The Bachelor, and he is currently heard on Saturdays from 6am, alongside Matt De Groot and Sarah McGilvray, on Nova 96.9.
Matty J says, “These days I’ve turned into such a sucker for reality TV – it’s almost disgusting! Being able to turn my guilty pleasure into a job is an absolute dream come true and the icing on the cake is that I get to do it with Nat Bass.”
Nat and Matty J will reveal their unique experiences of being in the public eye and what really goes on behind the scenes of the biggest reality television shows in Australia, unpacking the answers to questions such as “How real is The Bachelor?” and “Did Puberty Blues Impact your High School Dating?”
Managing Editor of the Nova Network, Andrew Brentnall, says, “Nova is dedicated to innovating in the digital space by providing the best audio and video content, tailored specifically to our audience’s needs. As a radio brand at heart, audio has always been hugely important for us, and with the uptake of smart audio devices and the demand for podcasts, we’re seeing an audience that is hungry for more original audio content. That’s why we’ll be developing a range of original Nova podcasts with The Babble as our flagship launch.”
“The Babble taps into our pop culture obsessed audience who aren’t embarrassed to admit they can’t miss an episode of Married At First Sight or The Bachelor. Nat Bass and Matty J may seem like an unlikely pairing, but they have much more in common than you’d initially think. When they first tested, the chemistry was instant and we knew right there and then that they were our show! We are so excited to be able to share this new podcast series with listeners.”
