Singer Jane McDonald has been riding the waves of success since her appearance on the BBC show The Cruise in 1998. The Yorkshire-born entertainer, who was a panellist on Loose Women for ten years, will be back on the airwaves later in the year and reliving the eight years she spent as a on-board entertainer in Channel 5's new show, Jane McDonald: All At Sea.

First, she is embarking on her Making Memories tour around the UK and will be performing at Waterside Theatre, in Aylesbury, next Thursday. Rather than just getting up on stage and singing a few ballads into the microphone, Jane is planning on performing a mixture of covers and her own songs alongside a massive production that includes a ten-piece band, dancers and costume changes.

The 53-year-old explains: "It is going to be an emotional rollercoaster, as one minute we'll be laughing our heads off and then crying the next. Remember to bring your tissues!

"People are quite shocked when they see me perform as they remember me from The Cruise all those years ago but I'll be coming to town with artic trucks and tour buses and there will be a massive stage, with sets, lights and just so much going on.

"I enjoy life on the road, as I've travelled all my life and enjoy that is it full on. I like to take control and do everything myself. I write, produce and even customise some of the outfits for the tour, as well as all the artwork, photoshoots, interviews and television. I look knackered most of the time and am glad to get on that bus at the end of the day, just so I can have a rest!"

During her show, Jane will be introducing full versions of some of her songs, including The Hand That Leads Me, which was written for her mother, plus The Singer of You Song, written specifically for her fans.

She admits she wanted to say thank you to the people who had been there for her over the 17 years she has been touring and realised there was no better way to express her feelings than through songwriting.

Jane says: "I've been known as a cover artist for mainly all my life but my fans know that I'm a songwriter and half my show is my own material as well.

"I wanted to tell my mum how much I loved her in a song and when she heard it for the first time when I performed it in front of her in a show, everybody else was crying around her and she was just sat there smiling away. I asked her what she felt when she heard it and she said she just thought of her own mum.

"I thought that it was great that everybody understands your song in their own way and so I was really pleased when she said that.

"I also wrote the fan song as I'm so grateful after 17 years of touring they are coming and supporting me and keeping me where I am - without the fans it wouldn't happen."

The title of her show, Making Memories, also links with her lead role as Grizabella in Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS, which ran for eight weeks at Blackpool Opera House last year. Jane wanted to keep capturing the magical moment of hitting a high top E-flat note in Memories, which earned her a standing ovation every night.

She says: "I had never seen a reaction of me hitting a song like that before and to be given a chance to work with Andrew Lloyd Webber was such a massive nod, which I'm very grateful for.

"I wanted to carry on that beautiful song and so I do a CATS segment now in my show, which is bringing the house down. I never thought I would get to this stage, as I've been touring for so long but I've never seen a reaction to a show like that before. I have finally got it right!"

Jane's success is admirable as she reveals she is the first person in her family to enter the world of showbusiness. Growing up, she always sang-a-long to Dionne Warwick's covers of Burt Bacharach's tunes and developed her vocals and range.

When starting out as a performer, she learnt her craft by touring round clubs in the north of England in the '80s and believes this is why her career is still going strong today.

She says: "I had the best training ever by doing the working men's clubs - I call it the Yorkshire RADA.

"I started out the old-fashioned way by touring rather than entering a reality show and to be honest, that is probably why I'm still here today. I learnt the craft of how to deliver a song and how to die a few times but still get back up.

"A lot of people now go straight into television and reality shows and can't really handle the pressure and forget that showbusiness is all about creating an atmosphere and making people feel something. If you carry that in your heart, you will be a success."

Making Memories, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Exchange Street, Aylesbury, HP20 1UG, Thursday, September 8, 7.30pm. Details: jane-mcdonald.com