Salmond lands new talk show on Turkish TV channel

Salmond said he was "relishing" the opportunity to host the programme on Turkish network TRT

Former First Minister Alex Salmond is to front a new television show on a Turkish channel.

Actor Brian Cox has signed up to be the first guest on "Turkish Tea Talk" for public broadcaster TRT, alongside Alba leader Mr Salmond.

The ex-SNP leader previously hosted a show on Russian state channel RT, but quit amid the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Critics have called TRT a "propaganda arm" of the Turkish regime led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

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A press release billed the series as "fun" adding it would "let the guests do the talking over a glass of Turkish Tea and give us all an insight into what makes them tick".

Mr Salmond said he was "relishing" the opportunity to host the programme.

"For me, this series is a chance to broaden away from narrow politics and instead chat to fascinating people across the full range of public life about their stories," he said.

"I relish that opportunity and am grateful to TRT World for offering it to me.”

Cox earned a host of awards for his performance as Logan Roy in Succession

The series is produced in conjunction with Sláinte Media, Mr Salmond's production company.

Mr Salmond said Succession star Cox donated his fee for the interview to "help young actors" at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

He said he and Cox - who portrayed media tycoon Logan Roy in the multi-award winning series - have been friends "for years", but added: "Every time I speak to him I learn something new.

"In this interview we talk a great deal about his childhood, about his passion for equality and social mobility, and about what it is like to suddenly transition from being a famous and respected actor to a global and instantly recognised superstar."

News of his latest show comes after current First Minister Humza Yousaf was criticised for inviting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Scotland after the pair met at the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai last year.

In 2019, Steven Stalinsky, executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute, criticised TRT as an "Erdogan megaphone".

Writing in the Washington Post, he said its aim was to "sway the perceptions of an international English-speaking audience in favour of the Erdogan government’s domestic and foreign policy objectives".