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25 April 2025: Jason Donovan, Ella Henderson and Neighbours memories

HomeShow Diary

25 April 2025: Jason Donovan, Ella Henderson and Neighbours memories

 

The Easiest Quiz

Joe entered Friday’s quiz with Jake’s 20 points from Thursday as the score to beat.

He normally listened later on BBC Sounds while walking at 6am, meaning he knew the feature well but was not accustomed to answering live.

The contestant also discussed Australian biscuits and a recent Kylie Minogue concert before the show moved towards its Australian Big Guest Friday theme.

Jason Donovan

Jason Donovan joined Scott as an “actual 80s heartthrob”, prompting a sustained conversation about Neighbours, pop records, theatre and Scott’s childhood fandom.

Scott said he had grown up watching Jason and had seen him in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat five times with his mum during the 1990s.

Jason discussed returning to The Rocky Horror Show as Frank-N-Furter. He described the production as liberating, energetic and a chance to become a rock star on stage through songs including The Time Warp and Sweet Transvestite.

The show had a personal connection because Jason met his wife, then a stage manager, through Rocky Horror. They remained together and had three children.

Scott revisited Jason’s pop career, listing records he had bought including Too Many Broken Hearts, Nothing Can Divide Us and When You Come Back to Me. One forgotten remix caused Jason to laugh so hard he nearly lost his granola.

Jason also announced further dates for Rocky Horror and a 2026 solo tour titled Doin’ Fine Encore. He remained in the studio to help interview Ella Henderson and repeatedly returned to stories from Neighbours.

Ella Henderson

Ella Henderson joined at 8.30 and was introduced as one of the strongest vocalists to emerge from The X Factor.

Scott remembered meeting Ella at a music-industry event before she had released any records. Ella said she had never forgotten that he supported her “from day dot”.

The conversation covered her development from a teenage talent-show contestant into a songwriter and established pop artist.

Ella discussed new music, including her collaboration with Breland, and the relationship between pop, country and the Nashville writing world.

She also took part in the Jason Donovan material, reacting to old photographs, stage costumes and Scott’s continuing excitement about sharing a studio with one of his childhood idols.

Jason Donovan through the years

The guests examined photographs showing Jason’s changing image across his career, including his Neighbours period, tartan trousers, stage looks and later touring years.

Jason treated the sequence with good humour while Scott and Ella assessed the clothes, hair and posture in each picture.

The Wonder Years

Friday’s Wonder Years began in 1990 and moved through early-1990s records, including East Side Beat in 1991.

The sequence supplied a final burst of nostalgia after a morning already dominated by Neighbours, Stock Aitken Waterman-era pop and Jason’s theatre career.

25 April 2025: Vernon Kay

Vernon described Jason as “a ball of infectious energy”. Scott revealed that Jason had given him the finger while leaving the studio, but stressed that it had been affectionate because they went back many years.

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