Not For The Vicar

Not For The Vicar captures Jethro doing exactly what made him an unlikely titan of the 1990s UK home video market: spinning long, filthy stories to a room of people who already know exactly what they are paying for. Filmed at his own venue, Jethro’s Club in Lewdown, Devon, the Cornish comic leans fully into his persona as a bemused rural yokel with a decidedly adult mind. The material relies heavily on local geography, bewildered reactions, and bawdy punchlines. He builds entire sets out of meandering regional yarns, including a memorable bit about an unfortunate incident involving a pebble and a pair of swimming trunks.

Released on VHS in October 1996, the tape arrived right as Jethro was proving that a comedian did not need mainstream television approval to shift massive numbers. He regularly appeared on the UK’s special interest video charts alongside touring contemporaries like Roy Chubby Brown and Jim Davidson. Critics frequently dismissed his act for heavily featuring non-PC humor, but his rhythm and persistence kept him selling out regional theaters and moving physical media for another two decades.