James "Jambo" Bolton is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Will Mellor. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 23 October 1995. Jambo was one of the show's original characters. Mellor left the cast in 1998. In 2004, Mellor reprised his role briefly for a Christmas special episode.

Hollyoaks initially focused on the lives and loves of seven teenagers living in a fictional suburb of Chester. Jambo was one of the original characters created by Phil Redmond, and he was introduced in the show's first episode, which aired on 23 October 1995. Will Mellor had previously appeared in Children's Ward and Redmond's Brookside, before he was cast as Jambo. He admitted to being nervous when he went up for the role. He attended four auditions and got down to the last two, before being told that he had won the part. Speaking to the Liverpool Echo's Peter Grant, Mellor said that when he went home to tell his family the news, they had all gone out and he had to celebrate alone. He continued "But really, it still hasn't sunk in. I'm so lucky – considering all the thousands who went for the auditions." Mellor stated that Hollyoaks was his "dream job", especially as he and his character were very similar.

"James, 18, enjoys a punch-up and is a wild, wacky individualist. Never one to follow fashion or wear designer labels he always goes his own way. Despite appearances, though, he is conscientious and works hard as a general assistant at a garden centre."

— Jambo's character outline published in the Chester Chronicle (October 1995).

Jambo is described as having an "idiosyncratic approach to life – he disliked convention and had a naturally inquisitive mind, often pondering on life's little mysteries, such as the theory of tumbling toast". Peter Grant of the Liverpool Echo described him as "the happy-go-lucky jack-the-lad with an eye for the ladies". The character's trademark is his "closely cropped, dyed-hair" and he is often seen hanging out of a car sunroof while traveling. Jambo initially works as a general assistant at a garden centre, along with his mother. Mellor found his character easy to play as he saw a lot of himself in Jambo. He was often told that he was playing himself – "a typical Northern lad." He explained that both he and Jambo liked to mess around and have a laugh, although Jambo was "a more magnified version" of himself and "a bit more outrageous". Mellor liked that his character was able to show his serious and thoughtful sides though. Mellor also stated "Jambo's someone who doesn't go out of his way to impress people, but who will show a sensitive side when he has to. Everything I do as me he seems to be doing too. It's really good that the scriptwriters are writing him for me that way." Grant called the character "the anti-hero who does everything differently."

The character's early storylines established that he has bad luck with women. In scenes set during New Year Eve 1995, Jambo tries to change his luck by donning a homemade "lucky snogging helmet" in order to find someone to kiss. Mellor told an Inside Soap writer that "Jambo just isn't one for the women. They like to have a laugh with him, but that's as far as it goes." He called Jambo the "joker in the pack" and said that he wishes the girls would take him more seriously, but deep down he knows that they do not.

In June 1998, Mellor confirmed he was leaving Hollyoaks to continue pursuing his music career. Mellor told Mark Goodier that his character would not be killed off and his exit would allow him to return if he wanted. Mellor later stated: "I've been there for three years and there's other things I want to do. Obviously pop music is important to me at the moment. I want to concentrate on getting my album out." His final scenes aired on 6 August 1998, as Jambo leaves behind his friends in Chester to move to Anglesey for work.

Writers developed a relationship between Jambo and Dawn Cunningham (Lisa Williamson). The show's executive producer Jo Hallows told Wendy Granditer from Inside Soap that Dawn and Jambo's relationship was filled with "lovely stuff". She believed it was "a relationship that viewers really cared about" which made Dawn's death from leukaemia "all the more devastating".