So how come American politicians don't watch anything cool?
It’s a bloody tale of warring clans fighting for control of the throne – so it should perhaps come as little surprise to Game of Thrones fans that Julia Gillard is an avid viewer.
Revealing herself as a fan of the HBO series in an interview with Guardian Australia, the prime minister said she had been drawn into George RR Martin’s mythical medieval-like world, in which feuding fiefdoms do battle in pursuit of power.
And her favourite character? Daenerys Targaryen - the woman who emerged triumphant from a trial by fire to be acclaimed as the uncontested leader of her people.
Gillard is backing Targaryen, who carries the title “khaleesi”, to take control of the iron throne. Targaryen is the first female war leader of a tribe called the Dothraki, in the complicated maze of competition between would-be rulers. She’s resolute and at times bloodthirsty – the khaleesi, that is.
