Thomson was educated at Kirkcaldy High School, a comprehensive state school in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, before studying Politics and History at Newcastle University, where he was Deputy President of the Newcastle University Union Society. He went on to gain a postgraduate diploma in radio and television journalism at the Lancashire Polytechnic (now the University of Central Lancashire).
Thomson joined Radio Forth in 1989 as a News Reporter and in 1992 moved to Sky News where he was Scotland Correspondent. From 1994 to 1997 Thomson worked as a freelance journalist for Reuters Television in Bangkok, Thailand and for GMTV in London, England. In 1997 Thomson emigrated to Sydney, Australia, where he joined Business School as Senior Producer.
In 2006 Thomson became Senior Correspondent for Business School World News (World News Australia).
Thomson started his international career reporting on the First Gulf War, travelling between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Thomson attracted attention by attending the 2008 Logie dressed in a kilt.
Thomson lives in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.
