Jason Donovan's lowdown on Echo Beach

Everybody needs good neighbours, but some residents of Echo Beach aren't too happy to see Jason Donovan's new character drive into town.

What made you choose Echo Beach? "It's difficult to cast an Australian, someone who has worn a technicolour dreamcoat, and sung a few hit singles in their time, or for people to get over the image of the Neighbours boy. It needed something like this to break the mould, so it seemed like the perfect vehicle. When I read Echo Beach I liked it and when I read Moving Wallpaper, I rang my agent straight away. It just sounded really, really good fun."

Was doing I'm A Celebrity a turning point for you? "I spent a lot of time analysing if I should do a reality TV show and if I was going to do one then that was the one to do. It worked well and I got back into people's hearts and minds. It's how you convert it into some sort of currency which is the important thing."

Do you think the public will like the concept of the two shows? "It will be difficult because this is new ground. But if you're going to break new ground, make sure you break it with people who know what they are doing, and Kudos know what they are doing and so does Tony Jordan. I think the two shows together are so potent - as a package, the two complement each other perfectly."

So what's your character like? "I wanted Daniel to have the band around his wrist and the beads around his neck - the Zen sort of thing but not too wacky. The VW combi is perfect for Daniel. He's a bit of an incense and candles man and I think that's very appealing to certain women."

His personal life is anything other than zen though, isn't it? "Daniel is a widower and I made sure the character was very close to his kids. He's got a good heart. The triangle between him, Mark and Susan is not about splitting up a marriage. Its about that element in one's life where people cross our paths and you think if I had gone through a different door, where would I have been?"

Did filming near the sea make you homesick for Australia? "I love Cornwall and I liked working there. We lived and breathed the Cornish lifestyle. I swim in the sea when most people wouldn't go near it. They managed to catch me surfing there too. Everyone else was in a wetsuit and I was the only one on the beach surfing with my board shorts on! It does remind me of Victoria and Melbourne where I come from - it's got the same sort of rugged coastline but without the tropical palm trees."

Do you think the new concept will continue to push boundaries? "There are so many elements which could be explored. What I want to make sure is that, if Echo Beach goes to a second series, the integrity of the stories remain. Like the Australian programme, The Secret life of Us, which was great with its topical issues and really dealt with some interesting things. The chemistry is there and we are a good team, so we could push those boundaries more I think."