Michael Gove: Tyrion Lannister is my favourite Game of Thrones character

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/16/michael-gove-tyrion-lannister-game-of-thrones-video

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Michael Gove is widely seen as one of the pre-eminent intellectuals in British political life. Now it appears he has aspirations to be a leading thespian.

The government chief whip has taken a starring role in a short video, shot by the climate change sceptic James Delingpole, in which Gove describes the “misshapen dwarf” Tyrion Lannister as his favourite character in Game of Thrones.

To show that his acting career remains secondary to his political career, Gove uses his cameo performance to make a political argument. Lannister, he says, shows how a “toxic figure” can overcome the odds if they follow Winston Churchill’s advice to never surrender.

Gove in the Garden opens with a sunny bucolic scene as Delingpole enthuses about the wonders of October in his country garden. As he looks over the fence, Delingpole sees a man walking through his field.

“Excuse me, who’s that person in my garden? Who are you?” Delingpole asks. “I’m the government chief whip,” Gove shouts back in a flat tone which suggests he might need the odd Rada lesson if he is to tread the boards.

“It’s the government chief whip in my garden,” Delingpole exclaims. “Did anyone give you permission?”

As he wanders towards Delingpole, Gove replies: “No, no, no, no. I thought I would ramble.”

Delingpole then says it is time for a “searching question”, and asks Gove what his favourite scene is in Game of Thrones. The film then breaks abruptly to allow the camera to focus on Gove as he says: “My favourite character in Game of Thrones is undoubtedly Tyrion Lannister. The moment I love most is when he leads what’s apparently a hopeless charge of his troops in defence of King’s Landing against the forces of Stannis Baratheon.

“You see there that this misshapen dwarf, reviled throughout his life, thought in the eyes of some to be a toxic figure, can at last rally a small band of loyal followers. And at the last moment he suddenly hears the noise of the relief column coming.”

As an off-camera voice enacts the noise of the relief column, Gove adds: “It is his father, a father with whom he has the most complicated of relationships, who then comes at the head of a relief army in order to defeat the Baratheon forces. At that point I am reminded of the words of Winston Churchill: ‘Never, never, never surrender’.”

As Gove’s performance comes to an end, Delingpole says: “That was well worth having you in my garden Mr Gove. Thank you.”

If Gove’s short video appearance suggests that he may struggle to pursue a career on the stage, it does show he has one advantage over Ed Miliband. The chief whip knows his television – unlike the Labour leader, who admits that he is researching sitcoms to avoid slips in the upcoming 2015 election campaign.