Donovan made his first television appearance at age 11 in a guest role on the Australian series "Skyways" in 1980. In the episode, his on-screen sister was played by future "Neighbours" co-star Kylie Minogue. He also appeared in the series "I Can Jump Puddles" (1981) and "Golden Pennies" (1985) before entering the cast of "Neighbours" in 1986 as Scott Robinson (replacing actor Darius Perkins, who had played the role for the first year of the series). His character's story arcs included an onscreen romance and wedding to Charlene Mitchell (played by Minogue), and helped boost the show's popularity with British as well as Australian audiences.