By BEVERLEY LYONS

ALEX SALMOND has commented on the row following his Benny Hill remarks about leading female politicians and America’s First Lady by claiming the comedian was “quite talented”.

The former first minister was derided by Nicola Sturgeon, who compared him to Hill, and said her party colleague is sometimes not as “funny as he thinks he is” after he joked about the SNP leader, Theresa May, Ruth Davidson and Melania Trump during his Edinburgh Fringe Show on Sunday.

He had said he had wanted them at the show, but “couldn’t make any of these wonderful women come ...” to a “ba-dum” on the drums.

Asked by host Ewan Cameron on STV2’s Late Show last night to respond, the former MP said: “Reply to Nicola?

I wouldn’t get a word in edgeways. Actually, Benny Hill was quite talented. He made a living for 50 years in telly so didn’t do too badly.”

Mr Salmond then tried to tell a Hill joke about a man in a jailhouse on Christmas Day, but after the punchline said: “Maybe Nicola was right.”

He added: “Every show is different. It was taken totally out of context and is a piece of harmless innuendo. We do a harmless send-up of four ladies, but what I say is I agree with Nicola.”