JASPER Carrott's funky moped of a career has been on the road for half-a-century or more - ten years longer than the Funky Moped comedy hit that charted in the UK Top Ten in 1975.

Forty years ago the curly-haired chummy Brummie - a dead ringer for Birmingham City star Trevor Francis (119 goals in 280 games) - kicked off a successful television career after establishing himself on the folk circuit all over the Midlands and the North.

He was part of the folk, comedy-music tradition embodied by the likes of Billy Connolly, Max Boyce and Mike Harding. But whereas Billy Connolly also established a career as a movie star, Jasper Carrott enjoyed a successful BBC television comedy series between 1993-97, The Detectives, along with actors Robert Powell and George Sewell.

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After that he seemed to disappear. The reality, however, was different, as he explained:-

"I did a massive tour, about 160 concerts, from 1998 and then six half-hour television programmes called Back to the Front. Then I went touring in South Africa and started to ask myself 'Do I want to go on doing this anymore?'," he said.

One sit-com and three series of Golden Balls for ITV later he did take a break. From 2010 he did charity work.

"Then about 18 months ago my mate Bev Bevan, who was the drummer for the Electric Light Orchestra, suggested that we do a few dates for the fun of it.

"Lo and behold, we did 20 dates which were very successful. So last year we did 55 dates and this year we are doing about 60 shows.

"I used to do two-and-a-half hours on stage. You cannot laugh for two-and-a-half hours. Now I do two half-hour spots broken up by music. It means I can really go for the laughs. It's very fast-paced.

"Comedy is an art form for me. I enjoy creating but it's not an ego thing: I don't make people laugh, I invite people to laugh.You have to have an awful lot of confidence. My job is to entertain. I honestly believe I am better than ever," he added.

The Al Capone scar on his face - inflicted by a bull mastiff when he was seven - has almost been like a stage prop, lending his eye-popping look of incredulity an edge of menace. It's the way he tells them, to paraphrase the late Frank Carson.

Although he's written material for Phil Cool, he employs writers to supply him to comedy story-lines.

"I always write the end product, but when you are doing a television series like Carrott's Lib - eight 40-minute shows - you need help. I always used to write it out and put it in my language, my delivery."

Without expletives. He doesn't eff and blind on stage because he does not want to make audiences uncomfortable. He's not out to shock but to surprise.

"I don't shy away from the subject matter but I treat the audience with respect. Comedy today is like music now: whatever you like you can find somebody who is doing it. I think that's the big change since myself and Billy Connolly emerged in the 1970s," he added.

Jasper Carrott's Stand Up and Rock is on at St George's Hall on June 3, starting at 7.30pm. For tickets ring 01274-432000.