Joel Creasey debuts on Nova saying he ‘feels like the kid with nits’

The Kate, Tim & Joel show has officially kicked off on Nova this afternoon.

New host Joel Creasey told co-hosts Tim Blackwell and Kate Ritchie that his first day was akin to being at school with head lice.

“I feel a little bit like the kid at school with nits, you know? Like ‘We know he’s supposed to be here, but does he have to be?'” Creasey said.

Blackwell noted Mondays had never looked “so fresh and so different”, but also joked he was surprised at the direction of some of the fan backlash to the new-look show.

“I was also a bit disappointed, because normally, you being the new guy, I thought you’d get the most shit on social media. But I just got a tweet, saying ‘Can’t Marty come back and Tim be replaced by Joel?'”

Blackwell was referring to recently departed host Marty Sheargold, who finished up on Friday.

On Nova’s Sydney breakfast show, Fitzy & Wippa, this morning, Creasey predicted any audience discomfort with the new format would likely dissipate.

“You said ‘Kate Tim and Joel’, I know it feels weird for people but what I’ve been saying is you know when Facebook changes the layout, we bitch and moan for about 24 hours and then we just get over it,” he said on air this morning.

He also reminded Sheargold fans that the former co-host had resigned and claimed “I love Marty”.

“Someone stopped me on the street – bear in mind we are all in facemasks so I don’t know how you can recognise me, perhaps it’s a limp wrist – and he goes ‘Oh you’ve got big shoes to fill mate’. And I said ‘Look, no one is more acutely aware of that fact on planet Earth than me. Don’t worry, I’m aware.”

The show’s performance won’t be known for some time due to the timing of GfK’s radio ratings. The next round of data will be released on September 29, however measures July 26 to September 19.

The following survey, scheduled for release on November 5, will measure August 23 to September 19, and September 20 to October 24.

The final survey of the year, measuring September 20 to November 28, will come out on December 8.