Salmond And Sturgeon: A Troubled Union | Preview (BBC Two)

Ten years after the Scottish independence referendum, this landmark two-part series reveals the inside story of a political partnership that took the SNP from a party on the fringes to one that achieved a level of electoral success that sent shockwaves through the British political establishment.

Featuring interviews with both Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, along with key allies and advisors such as John Swinney, Humza Yousaf, Liz Lloyd, Geoff Aberdein, Roseanna Cunningham and Kenny MacAskill, this series chronicles the history of the modern SNP and reveals how the party reshaped Scottish politics.

In this first episode, the story begins in the immediate aftermath of the Scottish independence referendum. Alex Salmond resigns as both first minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP, and power is passed to Nicola Sturgeon, someone who has long been seen as Salmond’s protégé.

In the aftermath of the 2017 general election, insiders reveal Alex Salmond's anger at having lost his Westminster seat and how he blamed his defeat on the campaign strategy of Sturgeon’s SNP,. Alex details how he moved on from politics to entertaining audiences at a FringesShow, before controversially fronting his own television series on the Russia Today channel.

Nicola Sturgeon talks of her anger at learning that Salmond would be appearing on the Kremlin-backed broadcaster. Relations between the pair then reach crisis point when a newspaper leak reveals that the Scottish government is investigating complaints of sexual misconduct against Alex Salmond that had been made by two women concerning incidents that occurred when he was first minister.

In an astonishing turn of events, Alex Salmond strongly proclaimed his innocence and took the Scottish government to court, alleging that the complaints process had been mishandled.

Hearing from politicians such as John Swinney and Roseanna Cunningham, we hear how the SNP was affected by the scandal, and of the emotional fallout of the case.

Salmond And Sturgeon: A Troubled Union begins Tuesday 10th September on BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer.