Jason Donovan

  • Australian
  • Actor, presenter and singer

Press clippings

Ghosts' best guest stars (so far) from Jennifer Saunders to Kylie

Standing out among the rock-solid ensemble that is the cast of BBC's Ghosts is no mean feat. As we await the fifth and final series, here are some of the show's most memorable guest performances so far.

Laura Vickers-Green, Den Of Geek, 3rd August 2023

Comedian Jon Richardson and his wife Lucy are doing their darndest to squeeze entertainment out of domestic life with their three-year-old daughter in the Yorkshire market town of Hebden Bridge.

Their mock reality-show Meet The Richardsons (Dave) started last month, pretending to be a fly-on-the-lounge-wall show where Jon and Lucy sat on their sofa and bickered about their marriage.

If they'd stuck with that concept, it might have worked better: the couple are obviously close but one can't say a word without rubbing the other up the wrong way.

Lucy spent several minutes criticising her husband for the way he says 'hello'.

And millions of wives will sympathise with her frustration that Jon can go into rhapsodies about a flash of football skill in a Sky Sports game, but fails to notice when she's spent an hour doing her face and make-up before a night out: 'You just say: "Come on then, let's go."'

But the show falls apart when it descends to scripted hijinks. Jon got stuck on the stairs moving a sofa and had to phone for help ... even though the camera crew was in the house. Are they professionally bound never to intervene, like wildlife photographers?

Jason Donovan made a cameo appearance as a guest at a celebrity Halloween party, sending himself up rotten when Lucy mistook him for Bros.

He was great in Dial M For Middlesbrough last year, too. Top chap.

Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail, 20th March 2020

Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson worked gamely for laughs as they investigated a string of murders at the Shady Creek caravan park in Dial M For Middlesbrough (Gold).

The first victim was run through with a swingball pole. The next two were liquidised and served in a ragu. Jason Donovan, as the camp entertainer, was brained with a boule.

The humour was as broad as Benidorm and, for those who are missing the high jinks at that Spanish holiday resort, it delivered some cheesy chuckles.

But you couldn't die laughing at it.

Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail, 16th December 2019

Dial M For Middlesbrough, Gold, review

A slightly too formulaic third outing for the cursed coach tour operators.

Jeff Robson, i Newspaper, 14th December 2019

Gold announces Dial M For Middlesbrough star cast

Gold has announced the stars for its third murder mystery comedy featuring Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson, Dial M For Middlesbrough. Jason Donovan and Joanna Page are amongst the cast.

British Comedy Guide, 9th September 2019

10 TV faces to see at the Edinburgh Fringe 2018

BGT winner Lee Ridley, Humans' Katherine Parkinson and Julie Hesmondhalgh are performing this year.

Ali Wood, Radio Times, 7th June 2018

Guests revealed for Harry Hill's new Teatime show

The guests have been revealed for Harry Hill's new comedy show, Harry Hill's Teatime which is being made by Sky. They are Joey Essex, Gok Wan, Emilia Fox, Martin Kemp, Jason Donovan and Paul Hollywood.

Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 5th June 2016

In a quiet week for new TV shows, it is always worth checking out what CBeebies has to offer. Boj is its latest new show - a bold, charming, vibrant animation set in Australia that follows the adventures of a bilby who burrows from the outback into the town of Giggly Park.

If Boj's dad sounds familiar, it is because he is voiced - and frequently sung - by none other than Jason Donovan.

What's a bilby? Look it up on Google. I had to.

Harry Venning, The Stage, 22nd May 2014

Jason Donovan to voice animated CBeebies comedy

Jason Donovan is to provide his voice for Boj, a new animated comedy series for the CBeebies channel.

British Comedy Guide, 29th March 2014

Dawn French joins search for Jesus music star

Dawn French and Jason Donovan sign up as judges for Andrew Lloyd Webber's ITV show to find stars for his musical Jesus Christ Superstar.

The Telegraph, 18th May 2012