There has always been an element of the theatrical to Northern politics, and the Rev William McCrea MP is one of its most versatile performers.
Mr McCrea is due to take his place on stage at Westminster next month. Around the same time as he proudly takes his oath of loyalty to Queen Elizabeth, his 28th album of Gospel songs will be hitting the shelves.
Born in Stewartstown, Co Tyrone, in 1948, Mr McCrea found his faith at a gospel meeting when he was eight. He became involved with the Rev Ian Paisley's brand of Protestantism after a protest rally in 1968.
His ordination as a Free Presbyterian minister was a natural progression. He joined a growing band of young clergymen, and followed his leader into politics. He first came to prominence in 1971 when he was jailed for six months for riotous behaviour. He was back in jail later that year for disrupting Mass in Canterbury Cathedral.
Mr McCrea's first taste of elected politics came in 1973 when he was voted on to Magherafelt District Council, serving as chairman between 1977 and 1981 and in 1997. In the Westminster election in 1983 he took the Mid Ulster seat, seeing off Mr Danny Morrison of Sinn Fein by 78 votes.
Over the years, Mr McCrea has carved out a name for himself as an uncompromising critic of republicanism and opponent of power-sharing. In common with many politicians he has been affected by violence. He describes as "a miracle" the fact that no one was injured after his Magherafelt home was raked with 40 gunshots in July 1994. Two young cousins were killed in an IRA booby trap in 1976, and another was shot dead in 1991.
Mr McCrea shared a platform with the Loyalist Volunteer Force leader, Billy Wright, at a rally in Portadown in September 1996 and later officiated at his funeral.
In the 1997 general election, Mr McCrea was ousted by Sinn Fein's Mr Martin McGuinness as Mid Ulster's MP by 1,883 votes. Speculation mounted that he would challenge Mr David Trimble for his Westminster seat in Upper Bann but, despite winning an Assembly seat in Mid Ulster in 1998, it appeared his eyes were on Antrim South.