Former S Club 7 singer Jon Lee is starring in the world premiere tour of Love Shack. Here he tells CHARLES HUTCHINSON why he's happy to consign his S Club days to the past.

JON Lee turned 23 this Tuesday.

Is he really only 23? He has packed plenty into his young career already. Even before his four years in S Club 7, he had starred in Oliver! in the West End at 12 and as schoolboy Josh Saunders in EastEnders and had studied at Sylvia Young's theatre school as a scholar with the Midas touch.

Next week, he is in York with fellow escapees from the confectionery pop factory, Steps' Faye Tozer and Hear'Say's Noel Sullivan, starring in the world premiere tour of Love Shack, a pop musical billed as "one helluva party".

"I'd just finished in 'Les Mis' when I got a call from producer Tristan Baker in November, asking me to read the Love Shack script, and I just loved it," Jon says.

"I thought it was hilarious, and it was something new and fresh, with the chance to create my own character."

Jon plays Sam, who is to marry Joanne (Tozer), if only one clashing stag party and hen party and 35 pop songs were not standing in their path in Kim Gavin and Danny Peak's boisterous musical.

"Sam is quite a 'boysy' boy; he goes to the football, though I've no idea who he supports.

"He's a chef, but he never goes to work in the show!

"You only ever see him coming from the pub to his flat, where he's living with his girlfriend Joanne and his best mate Will (Noel's role), so they both feel put out," says Jon.

"Will tries to put Sam off the idea of getting married because he still wants to live the bachelor lifestyle so there's a bit of tension between him and Joanne."

Given the competitive nature of the pop charts, you may have anticipated similar tension between the show's stars on their initial meeting for a production run that began in late February, but not so.

"It's been fantastic. We'd met each other before, just to say hello as you walk past, but here we get to spend time together and we get on really well," Jon says of his days spent with Faye and Noel.

"People expect there would be catfights, they want to hear that, but it's not been the case."

S Club has been consigned to history, Jon confirms.

"It's gone for good, two years now. I loved it but it got to the point where it was time to finish after five years of doing the same thing over and over again," he says.

"I don't think I saw our film Seeing Double more than once. Well, it was for the kids!"

The Love Shack tour rolls on until July, and then what, Jon? "I've got a couple of projects I'm working on, one theatre, one for TV, but nothing is 100 per cent certain yet."

Fact file:

Name: Jon Lee

Born: Croydon, London, April 26 1982. Lived in Devon, aged two to 12; returned to London

Stage debut: Title role in Oliver!, playing opposite Jonathan Pryce's Fagin, London Palladium, aged 12

Education: West End debut earned him scholarship to Sylvia Young's theatre school, London, to train in performing arts, music and drama

Theatre credits: Julian in national tour of The Famous Five; Broadway revue show Notes From New York at Trafalgar Studios; Marius in Cameron Mackintosh's production of Les Miserables, Palace Theatre, London

Television debut: Young Tom Tulliver, BBC period drama Mill On The Floss

Soap days: Played schoolboy Josh Saunders, EastEnders

Pop peaks: At 16, joined S Club 7. Sold 13 million records in four years; made four television series, shown in 120 countries; bade farewell with frothy Seeing Double film

Now starring in: Lead role of Sam in pop musical Love Shack

Where and when in York: Grand Opera House, Monday to Thursday, 7.30pm, Friday, Saturday, 5pm, 8.30pm

Tickets: £12.50 to £24.50; ring 0870 606 3590.

Updated: 16:13 Thursday, April 28, 2005