Sacha Baron Cohen to revive Ali G character in new stand-up tour
Sacha Baron Cohen is set to revive the character of Ali G for a brand-new stand-up tour.
According to Variety, Cohen has been working on the tour for a while, and it will see Ali G make an appearance in some form. It’s currently unclear if he’ll be in character for the entirety of the performance, or just a part of it.
Cohen first introduced Ali G in the late ’90s on Channel 4‘s The 11 O’Clock Show. The series saw him interview a number of international personalities while in character as an exaggerated British roadman from Staines-upon-Thames.
In 2002, Cohen brought the character to the big screen in Ali G Indahouse, which was directed by Mark Mylod.
In 2021, Cohen reprised the character for a string of stand-up shows. “I just wanted to get on stage and muck around and see what Ali G would be like with a crowd,” he told GQ. “It was really good fun.”
Asked whether he would play the character again in this context at the time, Cohen replied: “Yes, I think I would.
“Because 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 think it is funny, but I have to wait three months to hear an audience laugh.”
News of Cohen’s new stand-up tour comes just days after it was reported that the actor was working on a new Ali G feature film. However, a source close to Cohen has told Variety that no such project is in development.
Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman (via World Of Reel) had previously reported that Cohen was secretly working on a new movie which would see him return to his early breakout character.
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Chris Edwards
NME
