Jason Donovan reveals his father's early role in Neighbours before his stardom

In an interview with the BBC in 2022, Neighbours star Jason Donovan revealed that his father, Terence Donovan, was also a part of the show in the 1980s. Jason, who played the role of Scott Robinson, started working on the show in 1986 and remained a part of it until 1989.

It is worth noting that Jason's daughter was also a part of the show that the former was a big part of. During his 2022 interview with BBC, the 55-year-old expressed how three generations of his family have been part of the show.

Neighbours is an Australian soap opera that premiered in March 1985 on Seven Network and was later picked up by Network Ten in 1986. It has moved on to become Australia’s longest-running drama which was also aired in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand.

While Neighbours wound up its finale in the summer of 2022, Fremantle renewed the show through a deal with Amazon Freevee and resumed it in September 2023.

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Jason Donovan speaks about his family’s association with Neighbours

Jason acted in the 1980s while Terence joined later (Image via IMDb)

Singer-actor Jason Donovan spoke to BBC Breakfast in 2022 about Neighbours after the show’s cancellation was announced. He also revealed the involvement of three generations of his family in the show.

Jason was known for his role as Scott Robinson on the series between 1986 and 1989. He disclosed that his dad, Terence Donovan, portrayed the role of Doug Willis, a family man and a builder in the show. Terence who has been part of the Australian TV drama scene since the 1960s, is known for his role as Doug in the show and his work as Al Simpson in Home and Away.

A scene featuring Terence Donovan (Image via YouTube@Studio 10)

Terence Donovan was part of the Australian soap from 1990 to 1994. Following that, in 2005, during the show's 20th anniversary special, he briefly returned to play Doug Willis once again. He joined the show’s cast again from 2014 to 2016, after which the character of Doug died in the series. He was also part of the show’s 30th anniversary documentary titled Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite.

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How long was Jason part of the Australian soap?

Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue now and then (Image via Dave Hogan@Getty and YouTube@ Neighbours Official channel)

As mentioned earlier, Jason Donovan was part of the show for about four years. He joined the cast in 1986 and replaced Darius Perkins, who played Scott Robinson in the debut year of the show.

The highlight of Jason’s character Scott was his onscreen romance with Charlene Mitchell, played by singer-actor Kylie Minogue. The romance led to the two characters getting married, leading to the show’s popularity among both Australian and British audiences.

Jason exited the show in 1989 and has been busy with his music and acting career in the UK and Australia. He returned to the show when its cancellation was announced. He did a cameo, along with Minogue, in what was assumed to be one of the final episodes of the series, in July 2022.

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Who else in the family worked in the show?

A scene featuring Jason Donovan and Stefan Dennis (Image via YouTube@Neighbours Official Channel)

According to what he said to the BBC, Jason’s daughter, Jemma Donovan was also part of Neighbours. She joined the show in July 2019 as Harlow Robinson and stayed till the initial cancellation of the show in July 2022. She also acted in the show’s spinoff series Neighbours: Erinsborough High.

Additionally, Jason Donovan’s half-sister, Stephanie McIntosh, was also part of the soap's cast. Stephanie played Sky Mangel between 2003 and 2007. She had a brief appearance in the show’s 30th anniversary celebrations and also made appearances in 2020 and 2022.

While Jason only referred to his dad and daughter being part of the show, he pointed out how the show gave actors, writers, directors and producers to Australia. He candidly accepted the show employing his family for a long time.

On the subject of the cancellation of the show, Jason emphasized instead of being sad, the show should be celebrated for what it gave Australia.

Network 10 is currently airing new episodes of the show.