WATCH: Here's why you might spot Neighbours' legend Jason Donovan around Edinburgh over the next year or two

IF, over the next few months, you happen to be walking through town and think you may have spotted Ramsay Street favourite Jason Donovan... you may well be right.

The 51-year-old actor and pop star is likely to spending more time than usual in the Capital over the coming year or two.

The reasons are three fold. Having starred in the smash-hit musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert last time it toured here, its return next month sees him back with it, this time as a producer.

Then there’s his new tour, Even More Good Reasons, which comes to the Usher Hall in 2020 and, of course, the fact that his 18-year-old son Zac is now studying politics here.

Jason Donovan

As Zac watches from the corner of the room, his dad says, “If you are going to pick a city to study in, this is a very exciting one to be in, for students it’s a big exciting city on par with London.”

Jason himself is no stranger to Edinburgh having played here many, many times in concerts and as the star of musicals as diverse as The Rocky Horror Show and The Sound of Music.

Over the decades he has appeared in all three of the city’s main theatres - the acclaimed drama The King’s Speech brought him to The Kings. He also brought his Amazing Midlife Crisis Show to the Fringe in 2018.

“Over the years I have explored Edinburgh but I’m not a touristy type of person,” the Neighbours’ legend reveals, adding, “although I have climbed up Arthur’s Seat a number of times.”

Jason Donovan as Tick

He continues, “If I’m touring a show, I will spend a lot of my day just walking around the city.

“I like to get out. I’m quite fit and like to keep physically fit. Mental fitness and physical fitness go hand in hand, so that’s how I like to spend my time.”

A highlight of his trips to the Capital is the choice of restaurants.

“I like good food. I do like my Thai and my Mexican,” he says. “I like variety, having been here when I’ve played eight shows a week, you can’t just keep eating at the same place.

Jason Donovan with Kylie Minogue in Neighbours

“There are also a couple of natural food places I have found down near the Playhouse that I like... plus Marks & Spencer is fantastic.”

He laughs, “I know exactly where that is, I can visualise walking down the steps from Princes Street into the Food Hall after a show to get some salamis for an antipasto-type experience.”

The last time Jason stepped onto the stage of The Playhouse, he was playing Tick in Priscilla. This time, the show may be the same, but he’s wearing his producer’s hat - for the first time.

“I’m one of a few producers on the show,” he says, explaining that the change in roles came about when top West End impresario Mark Goucher suggested he join the production team.

Jason Donovan in The King's Speech

“He approached me and I think, if you are ever going to venture into the area of producing, you have to be passionate about the product.

“Eventually you are going to have to sell that product to people and also, potentially be an investor, so I’ve dug deep, although while I’ve been involved in the casting and marketing, in terms of the day to day running of the tour, that’s down to Mark and his team.”

Jason’s passion for the musical is plain to see, he played the role of Tick when the show originally opened in the West End and again when it toured.

“We all felt that the time was right for the show to come back out,” he says.

“It’s a re-imagined version, different from the last time with new costumes. It’s also a bit more fluid in terms of transporting it from venue to venue - it’s a big show.”

Admitting it has been a “fantastic experience” so far, Jason was also surprised to discover that he was more familiar with the role of producer than he had realised.

“I’m about to do another tour, Even More Good Reasons, next year, so, yes, I’ve essentially put a lot of my shows together creatively and musically, which is what a producer does...” he pauses before adding with a chuckle, “...maybe, in a way, my life is one big production.”

The Even More Good Reasons Tour stops off at the Usher Hall in September 2020.

“My Even More Good Reasons Tour...” he laughs, “well there were never enough good reasons, so we have found some more.

“We haven’t really imagined the show yet but it will be the hits from 1989 particularly.

“We’re going to lean on the 10 Good Reasons Album again, but as with all my shows, it’s not just about the music.

“It’s about me, my career in musicals, stripping songs back acoustically.

Despite enjoying a career that now spans four decades, the singer reflects it’s the challenges show-business throws up that keep him focused.

“Everything about this business fuels my passion for it. It’s magical. I’m challenged by it, I fear it sometimes...”

Still, even after all this time?.

“Yes, I have anxiety about things sometimes, it’s not a walk in the park... and it is a business, albeit one I am passionate about.”

Jason is likely to be back in town when Priscilla opens at The Playhouse next month and admits it will be strange watching Joe McFadden playing the role he has made his own.

“That’s always tough because I know the rhythms of a show really, really well, something like a Priscilla I know backwards, I can tell you were the pauses should be and where the laughs are, but that’s not up to me now.”

One thing he won’t miss is wearing Tick’s heels.

“I spent a lot of time in physio because of those heels,” he laughs, “but the costumes in Priscilla are almost as important as the show itself.”

Those costumes do make it a physically demanding show, however.

“Which is why I’m happy being a producer, not doing eight shows a week,” he says, adding, “I’ll probably come up for the Edinburgh run because of my son, that’s a pretty strong connection to the city for me.

So, if you think you see Jason in the street... “...it probably is! Wow!”, he laughs.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert is at The Playhouse from 5 to 9 November