First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has defended her predecessor Alex Salmond after he was criticised for telling a "sexist" joke at his Edinburgh Fringe show.

Mr Salmond, who lost his Westminster seat in June's general election, began a two-week sell-out run of his show Alex Salmond... Unleashed on Sunday.

But after making a lewd gag which mentioned Ms Sturgeon as well as Prime Minister Theresa May and US First Lady Melania Trump, he was accused of sexism.

Ms Sturgeon told BBC Scotland "I think I would know if he was sexist, and emphatically he is not. He is not sexist."

However, she added: "Occasionally Alex is not as funny as he thinks he is, and perhaps this is an example of a joke which perhaps belongs more in the Benny Hill era than in the modern era."

Mr Salmond's guests on his show have so far included Tory Brexit Secretary David Davis, comedienne Elaine C Smith and Commons Speaker John Bercow.