SNP supporter and Emmy-winning actor Brian Cox would rather Angus Robertson was standing in the party’s leadership election, it has emerged.

Asked about the three candidates to be SNP leader, Cox said: “The person I would have liked to see is Angus Robertson, who hasn’t run, which I think is a great shame for the party.”

The 76-year-old actor, who plays Logan Roy in the HBO hit Succession, was speaking on Channel 4’s The Andrew Neil Show last night.

READ MORE: Voting begins in leadership contest

Of the outgoing First Minister he said: “We have to be careful that it isn’t a setback (for Scottish independence).

“I have such respect and admiration for Nicola and what she’s done over the last few years. But I also feel she has had such a lot of horrible things said about her and that’s completely unnecessary and unwarranted.”

 

 

He added on the leadership election: “I think we’ve got to get it right. We’ve really got to get the right person.”

Voting in the contest to replace Ms Sturgeon opens today, with SNP members having the choice of Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and former community safety minister Ash Regan.

 

 

“The other people I think are interesting, but I worry about the fact the party needs that same vision that’s been so present with Nicola,” Cox said.

“The problem with the party is it’s a wide, broad church. And now that Nicola’s going you’re seeing the extent of what that church is and that’s the difficulty – finding who can take over and carry on what she has done so remarkably well.”

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The fourth and final series of Succession begins in the UK on March 27, the same day the SNP ballot closes at midday. The new party leader is expected to be announced shortly after.