The judging panel of Superstar includes pop and musicals star Jason Donovan.

Jason Donovan – Biography

Jason Sean Donovan was born into a show business family in Melbourne Australia on 1 June 1968 and his good looks and talent made him a natural on Australian TV. His first appearances on television there included shows such as ‘I Can Jump Puddles’, ‘Skyways’ and ‘Gold Pennies’.

His big break came together with co-star Kylie Minogue in the role of Scott Robinson in the primetime soap ‘Neighbours’ that turned him into an international star. After four years, he had won almost every major Australian award, including Most Popular Actor. The series went onto to become one of the highest rating shows in the UK.

Once established in the UK, Jason went on to have huge chart success as part of the PWL pop era. His debut album ‘Ten Good Reasons’ was the highest selling album of 1989 with sales of 1.5 million and was supported by sell-out shows in the UK, Europe and South-East Asia. The album featured the timeless chart-topping duet Especially For You with Kylie Minogue and a number one with ‘Too Many Broken Hearts’. Jason has proven his enduring appeal as a pop singer and 80s heartthrob as one of the most successful singers in British chart history with world sales of 13 million albums and four UK No. 1s. Following the release of his second album ‘Between The Lines’, he became 1989’s biggest selling artist throughout the UK and Europe.

In addition to his musical success, Jason’s TV, film and musical theatre work showed his versatility. Away from the spotlight he worked in his native Australia on film projects including his first role as Private Talbot in ‘Blood Oath starring Bryan Brown and Russell Crowe and this was followed by the miniseries ‘Shadows of the Heart’ and ‘Heroes’. His first lead role in a movie came in the 1994 production, ‘Rough Diamonds’. Robert Osborne of America’s Hollywood wrote….”This gent’s got major potential. He could easily be the Down-Under cousin of Robert Redford or Brad Pitt.”

Music was always a constant in Jason’s career and in particular he shone in his portrayal of Joseph in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ at London’s Palladium in 1991. The show was a box office smash and had an 18-month sell-out run. It also spawned a number one single and a best-selling soundtrack album. In 1998, he landed another theatrical role as Frank ‘N’ Furter in a touring version of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’: Jason says“It was a hard grind and I was on the road for 18 months but that’s where I met Angela, his wife.” Autumn 2011 saw Jason’s welcome return to prime time television when he took part in BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. He came a respectable third behind Harry Judd and Chelsey Healey.

Jason is looking forward to a very busy 2012. After completing the ‘Strictly Live UK and Ireland Tour’, he released an album, was interviewed by Piers Morgan for his ITV1 ‘Life Stories’ series, and has been a mentor with former Spice Girl, Melanie Chisholm, during auditions for the ITV1 musical talent show ‘Superstar’, which airs live in July. He continues to entertain the UK on his Heart radio show every Sunday afternoon, and is delighted this year to become part of the brand new Smooth Radio team in Sydney. In November, Jason once more returns to Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds – The New Generation, this time taking on the role of Parson Nathaniel.