James Colley is a television comedy writer and producer known for his work as Head Writer on Gruen, Question Everything, The 1% Club, and The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.

He’s the author of romantic comedy The Next Big Thing, satirical essay collection Too Right, and co-author of Tries, Lies and Meat Pies: The Sam Thaiday Story. His writing is regularly featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, and The Big Issue among others.

He has appeared on The Cheap Seats (Network 10), The Feed (SBS), The Sydney Writers Festival, The Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Splendour in the Grass, and other places as well – please do not make us say them all.

Other television writing credits include: The Mole (US), Summer Love, Bravest Warriors, Tonightly with Tom Ballard, The ARIAs, Beep and Mort, Hard Quiz and many, many more.

Audio Credits include: The Time Traveller’s Guide to Not Dying (Audible Original Series), A Rational Fear on Radio National, and regular appearances on ABC 702 Sydney.

He believes himself to be directly responsible for the Penrith Panthers threepeat however he has provided absolutely zero proof for this claim.

TELEVISION

STAYCATION (In Development)
Ludo Studio, Paramount +, 2023-current
Writer

TONY ARMSTRONG’S EXTRA-ORDINARY THINGS
FremantleMedia/ABC, 2024
Writer

QUESTION EVERYTHING
ABC, 2021-2024
Head Writer

GRUEN
ABC, 2015-2024
Head Writer
Associate Producer/Researcher

THE WEEKLY WITH CHARLIE PICKERING
ABC, 2014-2024
Head Writer/Writer

THE 1% CLUB
BBC, 2023
Writer

THE MOLE (US)   
Eureka Productions/Netflix, 2023
Writer

WE INTERRUPT THIS BROADCAST
Helium Pictures/Seven Network, 2023
Writer – Season 1

BEEP AND MORT
Windmill/ABC, 2023
Writer

SUMMER LOVE
ABC/Gristmill, 2022
Writer – Season 1 (Episode 2)

GRUEN NATION
ABC/CJZ, 2022
Head Writer

BUILT TO SURVIVE
Butter Media, 2022
Writer

THE ARIAS
Zig Zag TV, 2019-2020
Writer

RECOVERY: THE MUSIC AND THE MAYHEM
ABC, 2019
Writer

GET KRACKIN’
ABC, 2017-2019
Additional writing

TOMORROW TONIGHT
ABC, 2018
Writer

TONIGHTLY WITH TOM BALLARD
ABC, 2017 – 2018
Writer

HARD QUIZ
ABC, 2017-2018
Writer/Social Media

THE FEED
SBS 2014-15
Contributing Writer

THE ROAST
ABC2 2014
Contributing Writer

RADIO/PODCASTS

TIME TRAVELLER’S GUIDE TO NOT DYING
Audible Australia, 2020
Head Writer 

BACKCHAT ON FBI RADIO
2014-15
Writer, Host

A RATIONAL FEAR ON RADIO NATIONAL
2013-14
Writer

STOP THE POSTS ON 2SER
2013-15
Writer, Host

WEB

THE GUARDIAN
2018-2024
Writer

FRANKIE MAGAZINE
2019
Writer

THE BIG ISSUE
2018
Writer

SBS COMEDY ‘BACKBURNER”
2014-2017
Creator/ Writer

A RATIONAL FEAR
2014
Writer

JUNKEE.COM
2013-14
Writer

LIVE PERFORMANCE

NAILED IT
2016-2018
Creator / Host

A RATIONAL FEAR – SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS
2014
Writer / Performer

A RATIONAL FEAR –                                                     
FESTIVAL OF THE DANGEROUS IDEAS
2013-2014
Writer

TEDX YOUTH CONFERENCE
2014
Host

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA
Adelaide Fringe 2013
Performer

LIVE PERFORMANCE – SOLO SHOWS

DIRT BY SEA
2017
Sydney Comedy Festival

STILL EVOLVING
2014
Sydney Comedy Festival

AN APE THAT THINKS HE’S PEOPLE
2013
Sydney Comedy Festival

JAMES COLLEY VS. HIS OWN STUPID BRAIN
2013
Adelaide Fringe / Sydney Fringe

WELCOME TO THE WORLD
2012
Sydney Comedy Festival / Adelaide Fringe

PUBLISHED WORKS

THE NEXT BIG THING
Pantera Press 2024
Fiction

RISE: THE SAM THAIDAY STORY
Random House Australia 2019
Junior autobiography

TRIES, LIES AND MEAT PIES:                                        
THE SAM THAIDAY STORY
Random House Australia 2018
Biography

TOO RIGHT
Allen and Unwin 2017
Satirical memoir