Prior to joining the BBC, James was host of the Gold Radio Network Breakfast Show, along with Erika North. His ten year tenure on 95.8 Capital FM saw him work his way from weekend afternoons to his Sony Award winning daily mid morning show. Along the way he covered almost every day part including regularly deputising for both Chris Tarrant and Johnny Vaughan on the Capital Breakfast Show.

His feature Flirty @ 9:30 brought London to a standstill every morning as he played cupid trying to unite London's singletons. The feature ran for four years and was nominated for the Sony Best Entertainment Award in 2005. He proudly claims to have created three weddings and four children, almost a movie title!

He is also credited for being one of the main anchors of Capital's Sony Gold winning 'breaking news' coverage of the London 7/7 bombings. With the dramatic news of several suicide bombings breaking during James's show, he remained at the helm as the station dropped all music and commercials. He remained on air for over five hours, and then reported live from various sites around the city.

In early January 2005 James suggested to management at Capital Radio that radio stations across the UK should come together and raise money for the victims of the Asian Tsunami. His idea rapidly came to fruition and the result was Radio Aid, a day when nearly all commercial radio joined together and shared the same programmes, it raised more than £3m.

Prior to joining 95.8 Capital FM, James presented the GWR-fm Breakfast Show in Bristol, gaining some local notoriety by appearing naked on the back of a bus! He held a programme management position at Galaxy Radio in Bristol, and was part of the team which handled the transition from small community station to the regional station it is today. His commercial radio debut was on Chiltern Radio in Herts, Bed & Bucks.