FOLLOWING the success of his “Unleashed” run at the Edinburgh Fringe, Alex Salmond is to take the show on a short tour of Scotland.
Full details will be revealed later today but The National can reveal that Alex Salmond Unleashed – The Tour will start at the Tivoli Theatre in Aberdeen on October 14 with two performances at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.
The show will then go to Inglewood House in Alloa on October 20, again with two performances at 3pm and 7pm before finishing in Galashiels at the Volunteer Hall on November 24 at 7.30pm.
Plans are already afoot for an extended tour in the spring, with visits to Glasgow, London, Dublin and the Isle of Man all being planned.
The former first minister proved a real hit at the Fringe, selling out his entire run at the Assembly venue in George Street. In all there were 19 shows with 23 mystery guests, and £22,350 was raised for charity by the end of the run.
The format for the tour is much the same as those shows, though performances will last for two hours instead of one.
“It will be fast moving,” said Salmond, “and there will be plenty surprises.”
Comedian Des Clarke, who proved a smash with his devastating impression of Donald Trump, will be joining Salmond on stage, as will Janey Godley, the Glaswegian comedian and writer.
There will be music from the great Scottish folk musician Sheena Wellington and Salmond’s “house band” The Carloways will also feature.
Just as at the Fringe, each show will feature a mystery guest – those who appeared at Assembly included actors Elaine C Smith, Brian Cox, David Hayman and Martin Compston, Hibernian manager Neil Lennon, comedian John Bishop, historian Tom Devine and politicians John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, and Brexit Minister David Davis.
Salmond told the National: “It’s the same sort of formula that proved successful but we’re extending it to twice as long.
“I expect Des Clarke will make a big hit with his impression of Donald Trump getting to grips with the north east of Scotland, and Janey Godley and Sheena Wellington will be stars as always.
“I might even be tempted to do a duet with Sheena if I can find a song that suits my range.”
Salmond added: “We are really pleased to be starting off in my old stomping ground in the north east, where the Tivoli is a really beautiful renovated theatre.
“We’re doing it simply because we had so many requests to take the show round the country, and we are taking it to venues that hopefully will allow people who couldn’t get to Edinburgh to come and see the show – hopefully we will go even further in the spring, I’m sure.”
Meanwhile Salmond is enjoying his stint as a phone-in presenter on Sunday afternoon for the LBC radio station in London.
On Sunday he told listeners that if he could qualify for an Irish passport, he would apply for it.
Salmond was defending the decision many are making to preserve their European citizenship, saying if his grandmother was from Limerick he would apply for dual nationality himself.
He said: “Politicians talked a big game on Brexit but haven’t even done the elementary things of securing our position.
“Not just for European nationals living and working in this country, but those looking to the future and wanting to make sure that future generations have the same rights to travel and access to work.
“People who try and attack that as unpatriotic are not facing facts. If you’re looking for a scapegoat, blame the Brexiteers who should’ve thought about this in the first place.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel