While Jason Donovan insists he doesn’t actually have a shrine at home dedicated to his and Kylie Minogue’s characters on Neighbours, Scott and Charlene, the actor confesses he did take something with him when he left Ramsay Street behind in 1989.
“I kept Scott’s skateboard, which I thought was iconic,” he tells WHO over the phone from his home in London. “I still have it, too, but I definitely don’t have Charlene’s wedding dress,” he adds with a laugh.
Donovan’s quip refers to his hilarious new Optus 7 Day Free Network Trial ad campaign. The commercial sees Donovan’s fictional new flatmate, Charlie, confronted by a stack of Neighbours memorabilia before being forced to slip into a replica of the gown worn by Minogue for her TV wedding.
“I loved the nostalgic theme behind it,” Donovan says of the ad. “Everybody likes to look back on a happy period in their lives and being on [that show], I had the time of my life.”
How long did Kylie Minogue date Jason Donovan?
Donovan, 56, joined the cast in 1986, replacing actor Darius Perkins in the role of Scott Robinson. He stayed for three years, making magic on the screen with his love interest Minogue before they left the program to pursue music careers.
Their ‘Especially For You’ duet was an instant top 10 hit on the ARIA chart.
“It worked so well because that chemistry with myself and Kylie was very strong and real,” says Donovan, who was secretly dating Minogue at the time. “I would argue that is why the show became as successful as it did those early years.”
Although the pair only dated between 1984 and 1989, they are still great mates today and remain in regular contact.
“We have a WhatsApp chat,” Donovan reveals. “We often have to talk about things we’ve done and anniversaries coming up for Neighbours or ‘Especially For You’. She’s like an old uni friend – you don’t always talk, but when you do, you pick up right where you left off. I’m in such awe of everything she has done.”
Of course, it has been a long time since Donovan has called Ramsay Street home, excluding, of course, his brief appearance alongside Minogue, 56, in what was supposed to be the long-running soap opera’s final ever episode in July 2022.
But with a true-to-form plot twist, the international attention he and other big names attracted helped the series garner a new audience that saw it back on screens in a rebooted form on Network Ten just over a year later.
“It was always hard to believe it really was the end of Neighbours as it is such an iconic brand, but I didn’t think any of us expected it to come back as quickly as it did,” he admits. “Honestly I am still probably a little in shock, but ultimately this is a show that for decades was providing employment to creative talents and it launched so many careers including mine, Guy Pearce, Margot Robbie, Russell Crowe and Delta Goodrem’s that it was great to help be part of something that ultimately allowed it to come back and see that legacy continue.”
Having been in showbusiness now for over 35 years, Donovan is showing no signs of slowing down. He is currently playing Frank-N-Furter in a travelling production of The Rocky Horror Show and next year from February, he will hit the road for his Doin’ Fine 25 tour around the UK and Ireland.
But when he is home, Donovan admits he probably isn’t everyone’s favourite neighbour in real life.
“There is a lady next door that I try and look after, but I’m not scared about voicing my opinion about certain things either,” he says. “I’m not big on people having parties and making noise even though for a while it was me who was having them.”
