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01 / Characters · 01 of 07

Ali G

A white kid from Staines who thinks he speaks for the street, sent to interview the people who run the world.

1998 to 2007, and 2026

Sacha Baron Cohen as Ali G, in yellow tracksuit and tinted glasses.

02 / Who he is

Ali G is Alistair Leslie Graham of Staines, a suburban kid who has borrowed the clothes, slang and swagger of hip-hop and believes they make him the spokesman of the street. He began in 1998 as a short segment on Channel 4’s The 11 O’Clock Show, had his own series by 2000 and crossed to HBO in 2003. The interviews were real. Politicians, professors and police chiefs sat opposite a man who plainly had no idea what he was talking about, and stayed polite. That gap, between the confidence and the nonsense, is the whole character. In 2026 he returns, directed by Sacha.

“The important thing about Ali G is that he's not black. And he is delusional, so he believes that he is a - you know, a black hip-hop artist from Staines, and you know, he believes that his neighborhood is a rough ghetto, when in fact it is this lovely, leafy middle-class suburb outside Windsor.”
Sacha Baron Cohen, Fresh Air, NPR, January 4, 2007.

Character file

Staines Massiv · Identity card№ 0001
Full name
Alistair Leslie Graham
Nationality
British, from Staines / West Staines
Occupation
Interviewer, rapper, DJ and aspiring music personality; later MP and ambassador in the film. Leader of the West Staines Massiv
Partner
Julie (girlfriend)
Education
Matthew Arnold School
Ethnicity
White British
Status
Keepin' it real
Family
Grandma ("Nan")

03 / The reel

Best of Ali G

How readily people in power indulge ignorance when a camera is on, and how rarely anyone in the room says that this is nonsense.

More

04 / Where he appeared

Where he appeared

  • 1998 to 1999The 11 O'Clock ShowChannel 4
  • 2000Da Ali G ShowChannel 4
  • 2001MTV Europe Music AwardsHost, Frankfurt
  • 2002Ali G IndahouseFilm, directed by Mark Mylod
  • 2003 to 2004Da Ali G ShowHBO
  • 2004Harvard Class DayAddress to the Class of 2004
  • 2005NBA on TNTCommercials directed by Spike Lee
  • 2014Ali G: RezurectionFXX
  • 2026Ali G: Who Iz I?Amazon MGM Studios. Released October 23, 2026, now streaming on Prime Video

05 / On the record

Notable moments

  1. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the former UN Secretary-General, gives the interview that became the HBO series' calling card.

    Watch

  2. Donald Trump is pitched an ice cream glove and leaves after two minutes.

    Watch

  3. Harvard's Class of 2004 hears its Class Day address from Ali G in Tercentenary Theatre, June 9, 2004.

    Harvard Gazette

  4. Me Julie, recorded with Shaggy for Ali G Indahouse, reaches the UK top five in 2002.

    Watch

  5. Ali G hosts the MTV Europe Music Awards in Frankfurt, November 2001.

    Watch

06 / Honours

Awards and accolades

Two BAFTA Television Awards in 2001 for Da Ali G Show, Best Comedy Performance and Best Comedy Programme or Series, and four Primetime Emmy nominations for the HBO run.

All awards and nominations

07 / Sacha on Ali G

Sacha on Ali G

All statements →
  • NPR, Fresh Air with Terry Gross
    On who Ali G's interviews were aimed at
    “If you look at the Ali G show and you look at generally the people who I interview, they tend to be white, wealthy, powerful males, you know, in positions of extreme influence.”

    Source: npr.org

  • Fresh Air, NPR
    On who Ali G is
    “The important thing about Ali G is that he's not black. And he is delusional, so he believes that he is a - you know, a black hip-hop artist from Staines, and you know, he believes that his neighborhood is a rough ghetto, when in fact it is this lovely, leafy middle-class suburb outside Windsor.”

    Source: npr.org