AS gleeful Tories in Gordon cheered and heckled on June 9, the defeated Alex Salmond, jobless for the first time in 30 years, ended his short concession speech with a quote from Walter Scott.
“You’ve not seen the last of my bonnets and me,” the former SNP leader said.
In a move probably nobody was expecting, Salmond was next seen taking to the stage at the world’s largest arts festival with his own chat show.
The gamble seems to have paid off. Alex Salmond ... Unleashed ran for 19 shows – four more than initially planned – with all 6,500 tickets available bought within minutes of going on sale.
The National’s festival’s critic Nadine McBay even gave the show one of her rare five-star reviews, describing the spectacle as “a treat for anyone, regardless of their political persuasion.”
Though the show ended on Sunday, the near-universal good reviews and high audience demand means there might be a few more performances from Salmond.
Speaking yesterday, he said: “The only thing left to say is: That’s all folks ... for now. The show has been a tremendous success and we have welcomed a host of amazing guests to the Fringe stage, raising money for good causes far and wide.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time treading the boards at the festival and I relished being Alex Salmond ... Unleashed for 19 shows in a row. Thank you to all the back-room staff involved in such a top-class production. That’s all ... but only for now.”
Producer Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh added: “This has been a fantastic production all round, and the city of Edinburgh has been a great host. After a variety of enquiries and requests, we are now in discussions to take Alex Salmond ... Unleashed on tour, so watch this space.”
There were 23 mystery guests in total on the show, starting with UK Brexit secretary David Davis on day one and ending with Scottish Brexit Secretary Michael Russell on day 19.
An auction to have dinner with Salmond at the end of each show raised an impressive £22,350 for charity.
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