Osher Günsberg and James Mathison launch Idle Australians podcast with Acast

Former Editor & Content Director

Former Australian Idol hosts Osher Günsberg and James Mathison have reunited for a new project.

This time, it’s a podcast via Acast, known as Idle Australians, which will pay tribute to the unsung heroes of the country.

Acast said since the heyday of Australian Idol, the two men had followed different paths, but the “insightful new series” will bring the “two revered Australian voices” back together. Idle Australians, it said, will be an entertaining look at Australian history and culture.

Günsberg’s other podcasts, including Better Than Yesterday and DadPod, co-hosted with Charlie Clausen, are already part of the Acast Creator Network.

Guy Scott-Wilson, Acast’s content director across Australia and New Zealand, said the company is looking forward to working with both Günsberg and Mathison to make the podcast a commercial success.

“Osher’s been a huge part of the Acast family since the early days of launching in this part of the world and now we’re delighted to also welcome James as a podcaster.

“As the home of independent podcasts in Australia, we pride ourselves on supporting local talent, supporting them to grow and monetise their shows in ways they choose.”

Günsberg said he first came to Acast because of how creator-centric it is, and the lack of editorial intervention.

“Largely because of that – I’m so excited to launch Idle Australians on Acast. James and I have known each other for over 20 years, and in that time we’ve never been able to have the kind of conversations we’ve shared between us in the public sphere.

“James is the funniest, most intelligent person I know. At the same time as making me snort-laugh, he reflects on the world and the problems we all face like nothing I’ve ever heard before. To be able to explore the untold stories of Australian history and culture next to him brings with it a chance to reflect not only on how far we’ve come as a country but where we might go next.”

Mathison added: “There are so many hilarious, ridiculous, uncovered stories from Australian history and this is our chance to uncover some of those tales and share them with the world. We’ve always loved the underdog and are suckers for nostalgia, but mainly it’s just us talking about ridiculous nonsense which constitutes 90% of our friendship.”

Former Australian Idol judge Mark Holden last year announced his own podcastThe Idol Archives, alongside daughter Katie. It was touted as a retrospective look at the series, featuring former contestants reminiscing about their experiences, memories and some behind-the-scenes gossip.

The podcast was subsequently rebranded to Our Idol Archives after an issue with the show’s production company, Fremantle Media. Holden said he had to “make clear [the podcast] is in no way sponsored, approved or affiliated with Fremantle Media”.

Comment Form

Your email address will not be published.

Recent comments (0)
Post new comment

Jobs

See all