Bethan Phillips was born in Lampeter and educated at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, reading Latin and English.

She then worked as a Research Assistant in the Education Department U.C.W. and also held teaching posts in London, Rhymni and Aberaeron.

She was appointed under Dyfed C.C. to promote Media Studies. She, and the camera man Mike Dyson, produced over 50 videos on topics as diverse as Soar y Mynydd, Eglwys y Mwnt, Williams Pantycelyn, Waldo Williams, George Borrow, Islwyn Ffowc Elis, to name but a few.

In 1994, their video Pathways to the Past was awarded the Channel 4 award for the best educational video of the year. This was filmed at Castell Henllys, Pembrokeshire and traced the history of the Celts.

Bethan Phillips has scripted many programmes for radio and television.

Her radio programmes on Radio Cymru, included those on Hedd Wyn , Y Dyn Hysbys, and Joseph Jenkins, she also contributed a number of scripts for the S4C series Almanac.

She has worked closely with the director Paul Turner, and scripted twelve episodes for the series Dihirod Dyfed.

This series was shown on S4C and was based on true stories of murders in west Wales.

She has also scripted two films in Welsh and English and for S4C and the B.B.C. on the life of Joseph Jenkins, the Swagman from Ceredigion.

As an author, she published a number of articles in the Western Mail, Country Quest, Yr Enfys Y Faner and Cristion.

Her books include Peterwell, which was first published in 1992 and subsequently went into a second edition.

It traces the story of the infamous squire Sir Herbert Lloyd of Peterwell mansion in Lampeter.

Her volume Dihirod Dyfed, based on the television series, is still being used in schools as a set book for G.C.S.E.

She embarked on a study of the diaries of Joseph Jenkins and in 1998 she published Rhwng Dau Fyd, which was one of three books shortlisted for the Book of the Year Competition in Wales.

This was followed in 2002, by a more comprehensive version in English entitled, Pity the Swagman.

Both volumes received favourable reviews and are now out of print.

She is curently working on a new volume of Welsh historical stories entitled The Lovers' Graves, due to be published in 2007.

Bethan Phillips currently lives in Lampeter.

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