'I usually get myself down to the M&S' - Jason Donovan on bringing 'Doin Fine Encore' to Blackpool

After the success of his Doin’ Fine 25 tour which saw Jason play to 40,000 people across the UK and Ireland, the singing sensation returns to the stage in 2026 with Doin’ Fine Encore.

Jason’s latest tour arrives at the Blackpool Grand Theatre on Tuesday, March 10 and tickets are still available here.

Before his arrival in our seaside town, Jason sat down for a chat with us to talk all things Doin’ Fine Encore, his career and his love of Blackpool.

It was nice to speak to the star again - having only interviewed him about his performance in Rocky Horror at the Winter Gardens two years ago- so see what Jason had to say this time around below...

How are you feeling about bringing Doin’ Fine Encore to Blackpool?

“I'm very excited to bring this show. You know, it’s a tour I'm very proud of. For those people that don't know, we did a bunch of dates last year, ‘Doin Fine’, they were pretty successful, and we felt we could roll out more. So that's what we did. We added the word ‘Encore’. We picked a number of cities that we didn't get to, and that's why we're coming to you guys so very excited, very excited about it.”

So Blackpool was especially chosen because it did miss out last time?

“Yeah. I mean… When you put these sort of tours together, you can't always, you know, do everything you want to do. It's all about routine. It's about availability. Blackpool has always been a great town, very supportive of me- Rocky Horror I did there last year, or, I think maybe even the year before that, I can't remember. So, yeah, you know, I'm excited to bring this show. As I said, I'm very proud of it, you know, it's, it's a lot about me.”

Can you describe more about what this show is going to be?

“It's a sort of a celebration of 30/35 years of live work. I did a tour in 1990 that was my first real ever live experience. It was, you know, at a time when I was having big success in the charts, I realised that I had to invest in the craft, so I couldn't keep miming on Top of the Pops anymore. I needed to get out and play live, and that's what I did, and it changed my life. In fact, it was that tour that led to Joseph, because Lloyd Webber came and saw one of the shows. Then that led to my theatre work, which has been a big part of my professional story. So the show is, you know, it's a lot of nostalgia. You know, with some of the pop records, it's music driven. There's some theatre numbers that I'm known for. There's a little bit of footage with my dad, when he was in his 20s and singing on Australian television, I managed to use a bit of, you know, technology to sync up with him and we do a bit of a duet.It's bookend with, some anecdotes, but it's more about the music.”

About the music, if we take this as a greatest hits tour, are there certain songs that go down particularly well?

“It all goes down pretty well. I mean, you know, when you're coming to see a show like this, it's not always just about the hits, it's about capturing the person. Of course, listen, ‘Any Dream Will Do’ or ‘Too Many Broken Hearts’ but there's a couple of cover versions which go down really well too. So, it's a well rounded couple of hours, you know, quality, and I think good value for money.”

And do you have a personal favorite of one of the songs you're going to perform?

“I do love, we do a ‘Pure Imagination’ from Willy Wonka. i’s a really good, I think, sort of moment in the show. There's a song called ‘Cuddly Toy’ from Roachford, which is a cover version that opens act two. Yeah, there's a lot- the whole thing sort of works, you know, the whole thing sort of works for me. I mean, there's a song called ‘Talk You Down’, which is a song I've never sung live before and was never a single, but I think it's a great song. Yeah, there's a lot of me in there, as I've said.”

You mentioned your first live tour was back in the 90s. How has your craftsmanship changed in that time?

“That's a good question. Well, I think I'm a lot calmer. I'm a lot more in control. I'm probably a lot more- you know what- Focused is probably the word. But I think with age, you know, you learn to know how to deal with the unexpected. You know, I'm less anxious about things. You know, I don't have a lot to prove as much anymore, but I'm still ambitious, and I still love- you know, I still get anxious. I still have the adrenaline, the anticipation. Live work is, you know, it's a sort of a drug, in a way. It's quite a unique psychology to be a performer,

“And you did only perform in Blackpool about 14 months ago now, how was that trip?

“Blackpool is great, you know. I mean, I stayed on the seafront, I went walking -is it Lytham St Annes? Is that how you pronounce it? I went down the beach to the left hand which was lovely. You know, the audiences, the theatre, it's a great town., I don't think it was summer. I think it was, it was sort of October/ November time so it wasn't beach material, but, but yeah, I mean, it's all about the people, really. And you know, Blackpool has a tradition of shows, and I think whether it's Rocky Horror or my own show, I always feel a welcome customer.”

When you come up this time around, are you going to get up to anything you didn't get to do last time?

“Any mischief are you saying? No. I usually get myself down to the Marks and Spencers in the town center there. It's a bit different when you're doing sort of nightlies as opposed to weeklies. You know, you tend to only be in these towns for a very short period of time. So, yeah, I don't think I'll be staying in Blackpool as such. I'll just be there for the day to perform, and then probably move on to the next venue.”

When we talk about a production like Rocky Horror versus your own solo tour, how different is that for you on stage?

“How different is it for me? I don't have a responsibility other than to be the leading man. I guess the biggest difference is there's no understudy for Jason Donovan. So that sort of says it all, you know. It's a big responsibility, you've got 20 people on the road, and sort of the buck stops with you, really. It's also about putting on a good show… knowing your budget and what you can afford and how to have good, decent ticket prices, and, you know, give people quality -which is always at the top of my list. You know, providing a good show should be number one. We sort of move backwards from there, and this is a great show. It's a really, really good show. And there's a lot of, you know, visual aspects to it, screen work that we've done, which I think provides nice moments when I'm not always, you know, shining, it gives it a distraction.”

And the audience as well- do you notice a different crowd when its a Jason Donovan show vs when you’re performing in a bigger production?

“Yeah, definitely. Theatre audiences are not there for you, they're there for the shows but hopefully the charisma you bring to a character or a production, you know, tends to take people by surprise and make people stand up and think and hopefully I'm creating, you know, audiences for myself when I do my theatre work. I mean, I think that one of the reasons why I can tour as Jason Donovan is because, you know the catalog of musicals that I've done. I think people know that they're gonna get a show, you know, not just ‘Too Many Broken Hearts, and ‘Especially For You, there's other aspects to my character.”

Why should people in Lancashire get tickets to see you in Blackpool?

“Well, you know, it's gonna be February or March, you know, the sun is not shining but it certainly will be when we come to Blackpool. And you know, if you want a little bit of nostalgia with a lot of me, you know, A good quality show and just, you know, a night to forget about things and just enjoy yourself. I mean, this is not high science or an intellect. This is just some great songs and some great stories and a great night out.”

And after this tour, are there any more plans for you that you want to mention?

“I'm doing some gigs over summer. I'm back in Rocky Horror, but I'll be in Liverpool, Eastbourne and Bristol for the remaining three weeks that I'm in that title. After that, I haven't really got a lot of plans, maybe a bit more time mowing my lawn, assuming the sun is going to shine.”