Joel Creasey plays matchmaker in an exuberant role this new generation game show host was born for

What the king of television Graham Kennedy was to live variety shows in 1970s Australia, Generation Y’s Joel Creasey could easily be his modern day reincarnate.

A savvy showman with a cheeky sense of humour, the 28-year-old Perth-raised comedian has got the gift of the gab and enough mainstream appeal to be a rating’s winner.

Now, Creasey finds himself on Channel 7 in a career-first as host of new dating show, Take Me Out – and he’s wearing a bow tie for the occasion.

Seven isn’t the only television network picking up on his vivacious style – you can add a gig on SBS hosting Eurovision with Myf Warhurst and Channel 10’s Show Me The Movie.

Creasey moved to Melbourne from Perth at 19 to try his luck in small comedy venues, aiming to crack the Melbourne Comedy Festival circuit – until he did. His debut show Slumber Party in 2010 earned him a nomination for the best newcomer award.

He’s now happily basking in the glow of fame and lapping up the attention. It’s the way Creasey mixes his vulnerability with humour that’s made him a popular TV personality. He’s the sweet boy next door with a hint of brat, and a sassiness. He even caught the attention of the late Joan Rivers.

After appearing on the first season of Australia’s version of I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! in 2015 he gathered more followers and within two years penned his first book – an ambitious move from a newcomer but Thirsty hit the spot for this impatient go-getter.

With a patchy dating history and a preference for Tinder hook-ups, Creasey is stereotypically Generation Y – in which using a phone is how you navigate the modern world. It’s also the way to find romance.

“Everybody loves a little bit of romance,” says Creasey, while having his hair and make-up done for his Domain Review photo shoot. “Everything my generation does is online. That’s how we’re programmed, so it’s good to have a show like Take Me Out that puts women in the same room as a potential date and we get to see what happens.”

For someone with a preference for digital connections, he met his model boyfriend Jack Stratton-Smith in Perth a year and a half ago. “We talk over Facebook and Instagram a lot, it’s a modern day fairy-tale in the making,” he jokes.

Take Me Out is modelled on the UK game show, but Creasey brings his own voyeurism to the screen.

It’s all razzle dazzle and bright pink lights and Creasey cheers on the gals to find their perfect match.

There’s gents who crack watermelons between their thighs to win a date, alongside mediums also keen to score extra love points and a date.

Creasey undertook an intensive training course to get to know the 30 female contestants and learn their likes and dislikes in men. Recorded at Fox Studio Sydney in front of an audience of 500, there are nerves, but nothing the chirpy comedian couldn’t handle.

Since Hannah Gadsby’s Netflix comedy show Nanette went viral this year, Creasey is next in line with the streaming giant. He has just finished filming his comedy show and thrilled at the opportunity. “To follow Hannah and be the next Aussie comedian to be in that spotlight was both terrifying and amazing at once. I am forever grateful Netflix chose me,” he says.

Creasey’s parents Terry and Jenny are his biggest fans. They’re holidaying in Italy now (their seventh holiday this year), but they speak to their son every day. His mother was an extra in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and his father was the model in the 1980s’ Solo soft drink advertisements.

The couple met in London where they both worked as actors and moved back to Australia to start a family. Creasey has two sisters: Holly, four years older and Alice, four years younger.

“I love my parents but they’re always trying to give me advice,” he yawns.

“Sometimes mum offers up subjects she’d like to see me explore on stage and I’m like, OK mum, you can stop right there. That’s a bit much.”

Creasey will spend the remainder of the year writing a new comedy show to tour Australia with. He finds inspiration for material at dinner parties, has written about exes who have dumped him, his affair with a footballer, and loves nothing more than couch time watching reality TV shows.

“I have created this very busy life,” he exhales.

“I guess away from work I love to spend time with Jack. He is up for anything and gets lots of attention because he’s a model and very good looking. I mean everyone’s a model on Instagram in 2018, right?

“Well, he actually pays the bills that way.”

• Take Me Out \ Every Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel Seven.