It is tricky being the number two in a one-man show. But the unassuming François Fillon, France's prime minister, appears to be growing into the role.
As the first lieutenant of the hyperactive President Nicolas Sarkozy, the 53-year-old former education minister is the model of calm restraint, described by one political observer as the "president's Prozac". But the amateur racing car driver, who was born in Le Mans, will need all his level-headedness over the next few months as he attempts to implement Mr Sarkozy's controversial reform -programme.
