Jason Donovan brings Doin' Fine 25 tour coming to Bradford, York and Hull

Jason Donovan’s hits were part of the soundtracks of many people’s young lives and it’s been almost 37 years since he released his first single, Nothing Can Divide Us.

Donovan was already a star because of his role as Scott Robinson in Australian soap Neighbours, and followed up with a string of successful releases, including the Kylie Minogue duet Especially For You – and he’s still going strong.

Currently touring with The Rocky Horror Picture Show, he will be heading to Yorkshire in March for his Doin’ Fine 25 tour.

“I love creating my own show,” says Donovan. “I guess the difference with this and what I do in theatre is that I’m sort of the boss. For me, if I was to just rely on my own shows and those pop songs as my only bread and butter, I probably wouldn’t enjoy it as much. But because I get these gaps, and because I do a lot of theatre work, I get the opportunity to exercise those songs every four or five years and not get tired of them.”

Though the tour’s called Doin’ Fine 25, it’ll actually be 35 years since his original Doin’ Fine shows. Is he a nostalgic person?

“When I listen to my own records, I get a little bit scientific about them, like was that vocal good or not good? But doing that 1990 world tour was important to me, because it was a matter of proving to myself and my audience that I was in this for the long term.”

Will he be performing the Neighbours theme tune?

“When I used to do these personal appearances in the early 2000s I’d sing the Home and Away theme, but I’m a bit like that. People would say, ‘That’s Home And Away, that’s not Neighbours!’ and I’d go, ‘Exactly!’ But more recently, when Neighbours was rebooted on Amazon, the producers asked if I wanted to re-record the song, and I turned it down. I did have a think about it, but I thought going back to appear in what we thought was the last episode (in 2022) was enough done. It’s a great song, but does it work in a show? It’s a bit twee.”

Donovan, 56, hasn’t released an album since Sign of Your Love in 2012, but plans to record again.

“The problem is, it takes a lot of energy and the market is very different now. You’ve got to dream big, I get that. I’m definitely not lazy, but I just feel that maybe my time is better spent on stuff that engages a little bit more. I’m playing to full houses with Rocky Horror at the moment – what more could I want?”

Of course, going on tour in his fifties is not the same as in his twenties. "There’s a bit more physio these days, and a lot more stretching,” he says. “There’s even a bit of steam and inhaler just to keep the vocal cords pretty!”

Jason Donovan brings his Doin’ Fine 25 tour to St George’s Hall in Bradford on Friday, March 7; York Barbican on Saturday, March 8; and Hull City Hall on Friday, March 21. Tickets: www.jasondonovan.com/tour