Ali G to be revived by Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Baron Cohen aka Ali G arriving at the Empire Cinema in London's Leicester Square, for the premiere of Ali G InDaHouse.
PA
The spoof character of Ali G is set to be revived by its creator, Sacha Baron Cohen, in the form of a new stand-up tour.
Baron Cohen, 51, is preparing to resurrect the 90s act for Ali G’s 25th anniversary this year, according to Variety.
A parody wannabe gangster, Baron Cohen’s Ali G was first introduced in 1998 on the sketch series The 11 O’Clock Show before being developed into a standalone series.
The long list of politicians, celebrities and experts duped by Ali G’s prank interviews could well see some additions soon, though no further details on tour dates and locations have been revealed.
Sacha Baron Cohen aka Ali G and actress Rhona Mitra arriving at the Empire Cinema in London's Leicester Square, for the premiere of Ali G InDaHouse.
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A source close to the star has confirmed that there would be no chance of him appearing on the big screen while the Hollywood strikes are still taking place.
They told Variety: “As a SAG and WGA member he is supporting the ongoing strike alongside his fellow writers and actors.”
Baron Cohen previously brought the character back in 2021 for a sketch at the MTV Movie & TV Awards, as well as a one-off secret show at The Comedy Store in Sydney, Australia.
He said at the time to British GQ: "I just wanted to get on stage and muck around and see what Ali G would be like with a crowd.
Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (Ali G) after he received awards for the best Comedy Performance and best Comedy Programme or series at the British Academy Television Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
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"It was really good fun. The reason I became a comedian was that I loved people laughing at my jokes.
"To actually hear laughter is a rare thing for me.
"When I do the movies, I have to wait three months to hear an audience laugh."
In the early 2000s, the standalone series Da Ali G Show cemented Ali G as a popular culture icon.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat appears on stage during the MTV Europe Music Awards, from the Atlantic Pavilion, Lisbon, Portugal, on 3 November 2005.
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The show also introduced two new spoof journalists in Borat, a Kazakh reporter, and Austrian outrageous fashionista Bruno.
The character of Ali G released a song called Me Julie in 2002 the featured Shaggy and reached number 2 in the UK charts.
All the characters went on to have their own spin-off movies, including Ali G Indahouse, Bruno and Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
The character of Borat was resurrected in 2020 for a second film, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.