This farmer's son was born in 1948 in the village of St Buryan, West Cornwall. After leaving school he worked as a carpenter and after his apprenticeship went to work in a tin mine.

Jethro started in show business singing traditional songs in Cornish pubs. At the age of 18, he joined a local operatic society. But he discovered he could get laughs, too, and so became a comic.

Although rarely seen on TV, he sells more than 250,000 theatre seats a year and does a roaring trade on video.

His few small-screen outings include The Des O'Connor Show, where he appeared a record nine times, and five appearances on Jim Davidson’s Generation Game, twice to make a Cornish Pasty.

He has hosted two shows for West Country ITV station HTV, The Jethro Junction, and in December 2001 appeared in the Royal Variety show in front of the Queen.

Jethro lives in Lewdown on the Devon/Cornwall border. His passions are his show horses, golf, and rugby, having played prop-forward for Penzance and Newlyn for ten years from 1967.

In 1993 Jethro released his first video A Portion of Jethro, which sold nearly 150,000 copies, a success which he has followed up with another nine titles.

Simply the best of British comedy is all i can say for this legend. Pity he don't do TV stand-up more often

Mark Jordan, October 2007

I do a stand-up show here in Spain and most my jokes are related to Jethro tapes and his jokes. I get good crowds. I am Cornish and proud to be. Long live Jethro

fred, June 2007

I wanted to see Jethro when he played at Stevenage recently. Yet my 15 year old son refused to go with me. Sorry Jethro, Sammy does not realise that you are cooler than Ricky Gervais.

skinnytony, February 2007

He's the best thing out of Cornwall since the Pasty!

Ozzy, January 2007

One of the funniest men not on television. He has the knack of saying all the things in public, the rest of us only dare think of in private. He is like Marmite, an acquired taste. Listening to him you will either be in pain from laughing so much, or deeply offended by his material. My wife and I think he is great.

Bernie Green, December 2006

I usually go on and on about being Cornish, but Jethro makes me want to disconnect myself from the west country entirely. Unfunny and unclever. watching his DVDs was painful. Aviod at all cost (even if you're Cornish).

Col, October 2006