FORMER first minister Alex Salmond will present a new TV show on a Turkish channel, it has been announced.

The Alba Party leader said he was “delighted to be starting a series of interviews for TRT World”, an English-language channel based in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

Salmond’s show will be called “Turkish Tea Talk”, which he said emphasises the “very informal nature” of the interviews he will be conducting.

Brian Cox has been announced as the first guest.

The TRT channel has faced criticism in the past, with the executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute, Steven Stalinsky, arguing that it is “a propaganda arm of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime”.

Announcing the new show, Salmond said: “It really is a fun series. I have been asked by TRT World to interview some of the most interesting people on the planet in show business, sport and public life and chat with them about their life, work and key interests.

“It’s called Turkish Tea Talk to emphasise the very informal nature of the discussions. The format is to let the guests do the talking over a glass of Turkish Tea and give us all an insight into what makes them tick.

“We start the series with Succession actor Brian Cox and he has a marvellous life story to tell. From the back streets of Dundee to renowned Shakespearean actor and now to Hollywood icon.”

Salmond went on: “I have been privileged to be friends with Brian for years but 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.

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“It’s typical of Brian that he asked his fee for the interview to be donated to help young actors in LAMDA [the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art] and he comes across as a man deeply concerned that the ladder of opportunity, once offered to him, should be much more available to the next generation.

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

Salmond’s new series is being produced in conjunction with Sláinte Media, his production company.

The former first minister pulled his TV show on RT, a channel accused of being a propaganda wing for Vladimir Putin’s Russian regime, after the invasion of Ukraine.