It’s a moment that provides a glimpse into his close relationship with his family and hints at the origins of his political thought.

Even his political rivals, former Chancellor George Osborne and former Labor First Minister Lord Jack McConnell, admired his extraordinary skills on the grounds of Westminster and Holyrood.

Lord McConnell says the modern campaigning style developed under Salmond’s leadership clearly made an impact in 2007 and 2011.

But some have questioned whether his ability to read the political mood also extends to a sense of self-awareness, especially in recent years.

Journalist Kenny Farquharson says he has the “ability to shape politics to his own ends” by “the force of his personality” or simply by being “better at politics than his rivals”.

What most of the documentary’s contributors agreed on was that he loved talking and arguing with people.

“He was interested in people. He wanted to learn about people; what problems they faced in their daily lives,” his Alba colleague and friend Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh told us.

Roseanna Cunningham describes campaigning with Salmond as an “amazing experience”; himself hanging out “at people’s gates forever and a day.”

They say this is a big part of his electoral success.