Nicola Sturgeon on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show: 'Politicians are rarely funny'

The SNP leader appeared on the show as part of a four-day trip to America

Nicola Sturgeon appeared on The Daily Show as part of her four-day trip to America (YouTube )

Nicola Sturgeon may be a politician, but when she appeared on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, she proved herself every bit the comedian.

In fact, she was incorrectly described as a comedian on the show’s website, which she took up with Stewart when she arrived in an attempt to set the record straight.

“You billed me on your website as a comedian, so you’ve raised all these expectations that I’m going to be funny.

“And I’m a politician, and as you know, politicians are rarely funny,” the SNP leader said.

Stewart told her in reply that she need not worry, as “they thought I was going to be funny for 17 years”.

But when Stewart began asking about the amount of oil reserves Scotland has, and “may we invade you?” as a result, Sturgeon quipped that Stewart's questions in themselves showed progress as he had asked, “presumably on behalf of the United States, permission to invade an oil-producing country”.

“It doesn’t usually work that way,” she added. “See that, you are a comedian,” he replied.

Stewart is known for ribbing his guests and he didn’t miss an opportunity with Sturgeon, when she joked about launching an inquiry into why the SNP only won 56 out of 59 seats in the general election.

“You think you’re Saddam Hussein? You get 99 per cent?” Stewart asked, as the SNP leader laughed and said “you should always aim for more”.