Matt Tilley

Personal life

Tilley was conceived in the Melbourne suburb of Aspendale, raised in Mount Eliza. He completed his secondary school education in 1986 at The Peninsula School in Mount Eliza. He completed a Bachelor of Laws degree from Monash University, taking 11 years to complete the degree. He began stand-up comedy in 1987. He has three children; Grace, Jack and Oscar with wife Suzie.

Radio

Television

Matt has also been featured as a performer on the Network Ten series Thank God You're Here and most recently co-hosted the failed Nine Network show Surprise Surprise Gotcha.

"Gotcha" Calls

In early 2005, The Matt and Jo Show introduced a new segment which aired at 7:50 am titled "Matt Tilley's Gotcha Calls". The segment features Tilley making prank phone calls. Triple M in Sydney also featured Tilley on The Grill Team where he presented Gotcha Calls on a regular basis

Gotcha Call album releases

Fox FM in association with Michael Gudinski released compilation albums of Tilley's gotcha calls, Cereal Pest: The Gotcha Calls. The album reached number twelve on the ARIA charts and was also nominated for the 'Best Comedy Release' at the 2006 ARIA Awards.

The Gotcha Calls continued throughout 2006 and eventually spawned a two disc CD sequel, Cereal Pest: Gotcha Calls - The Double Album, which was released a year later on 21 October 2006. The album reached number four on the ARIA charts.

A third double CD Gotcha Call album, Cereal Pest: Gotcha Calls - Three's a Crowd, was released on 10 November 2007. The album reached number fourteen on the ARIA charts.

A fourth album, The Gotcha Calls – The Final Call, was released on 23 October 2009 and it reached number eight on the ARIA charts.

Charitable work

The sales of Tilley's 2006 and 2007 albums raised a total of A$366,000; $160,000 for the Mercy Hospital, Heidleberg and $206,600 for the Royal Women's Hospital, Carlton. Proceeds of the third album went to community groups.

An avid runner, in September 2006, Tilley ran continuously on a treadmill for the duration of the Matt and Jo show. Soliciting per-kilometre sponsorship for the Mental Illness Fellowship of Victoria, he raised $41,000.

In 2008 Tilley sought sponsorship for a run from the new FOX studios in Clarendon St South Melbourne to Frankston, raising $91,500 for P.A.N.D.A. (the Post and Antenatal Depression Association)

In 2011 Tilley raised $900 for the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) through a segment that came about through his constant use of the saying "The Thing Is." An avid listener by the name of Professor Brent (stage name) was required to listen between 6 and 9 am for the period of one week to count the number of times Tilley said "The Thing Is." For every time Tilley let one slip, he agreed to donate $100 to the RCH.

Scandal

In 2014 Tilley was involved in a scandal during a segment in the Triple M radio station owned by Southern Cross Austereo. Colombians in Australia through the Colombian consulate asked for a formal apology from Triple M for comments they considered offensive. An investigation was conducted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority which found that "although the stereotype is based on factual elements, the ACMA is satisfied that the segment mildly ridiculed the Colombian people, and that by inviting Colombian callers to comment on whether they had used cocaine, to some extent it encouraged the audience to share these feelings of ridicule." However, the Australian Communications and Media Authority found that "while the presenters explored a stereotype with the listeners, and were at times disrespectful of the Colombian people, any ridicule that was encouraged was not sufficient to reach the high threshold that is contemplated by the Codes." A full record of the investigation can be found in the Australian Communications and Media Authority website.