Mike Gambit (or Michael Gambit) is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

'' The New Avengers'', played by actor

Gareth Hunt Alan Leonard Hunt (7 February 1942 – 14 March 2007), known as Gareth Hunt, was a British actor best remembered for playing footman Frederick Norton in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' and Mike Gambit in '' The New Avengers''. Early life Alan Leon ...

Overview

Gambit was

John Steed Major The Hon. John Wickham Gascoyne Beresford Steed usually known as John Steed, is a fictional character and the central protagonist on the 1960s British spy series '' The Avengers'' and its 1970s sequel '' The New Avengers'', played by Patr ...

's first male partner since Drs.

David Keel David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

and Martin King in the original '' The Avengers'' nearly 15 years earlier. Gareth Hunt was picked for the role at auditions held in late January 1976. His role in the New Avengers team alongside John Steed and Purdey, was to be the action man, charming female witnesses, chasing and fighting villains and protecting his colleagues. Gambit was a

secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

and former

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the Parachute Regiment and had a short-lived career as a race car driver. Gambit was something of a mystery, his past never being addressed within the series other than him running away to sea as a teenager (as Hunt himself did) and that he once took three bullets coming over the Berlin Wall (something he shares with Steed). He lived in an apartment with a

Modern architecture Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that form ...

design style which is still full of boxes as he'd never bothered to unpack. He was romantically interested in Purdey, often flirting with her during their work together.

Reception

In the British Film Institute's 1996 tribute book, ''The Avengers'', Toby Miller writes: "What of ''The New Avengers unwieldy third object, Gambit? Hunt summed up his character's relationship with Purdey as 'based on a promise: ''one day it will happen''.' Some might seem him as the necessary triangulation of mimetic desire: the relationship between the men attains its shape via interaction with her... In effect, Gambit was the viewer brought into the action: the younger man in thrall to Steed and taken with Purdey, he is that most mundane of viewers, the straight white male, finding himself part of the diegesis without any element of fantasy in his character (the ''Evening News'' called him 'bovine'). If Tara is the everyday female spectator who is given a part, Gambit is her male equivalent." In ''Avenger World: The Avengers in Our Lives'', Alan Hayes comments: "I loved Gambit, the perpetual underdog, fiercely loyal, always hopeful that Purdey would return his affection without ever crossing the line, a genuinely good man who quickly became a favourite -- and not bad on the eyes, either! Plus, his suits benefitted from Seventies tailoring, the last decade to remember that men have a waist and to cinch jackets in accordingly."

References

Gambit, Mike The Avengers (TV series) characters {{Tv-char-stub

Overview

Reception

Further reading

References