Ali G vows to take aim at Gen Z with his outrageous comeback - so best get the trigger warnings ready!

It's been two decades since Ali G first burst onto the scene and quickly became a cultural icon. 

Gen X and Millennials will remember fondly the faux-streetwise poseur from Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, with his 'rude boy' accent and never-ending supply of tracksuits and gold chains. 

Now the character, created by Sacha Baron Cohen, is preparing for an epic comeback, introducing him to a whole new audience. 

His new film, Ali G: Who Iz I?, will see him navigate life 'since the world went to c**p', seeing him star in a new mockumentary alongside his pregnant girlfriend (me) Julie – played by Morgana Robinson. 

While Sacha has never been afraid of controversy – offending most of Lincolnshire with his 2016 film Grimsby, while 2009s Bruno was accused of stoking homophobia – he may have bitten off more than he can chew with his latest project. 

Indeed, Ali G is designed to shock and offend but the world has changed a lot since he was first created in 1998. 

Similar satire shows from that time such as Little Britain and Bo' Selecta! have been yanked off air, labelled problematic and their stars have come forward to apologise. 

Even the smallest risk of causing offence can result in the requirement of a trigger warning. 

Just last week theatregoers at How the Other Half Loves were preinformed about a slice of toast being consumed on stage – with a warning the production 'involves real food.' 

Yet Ali G is determined to poke the beast with his new project, which will take aim at arguably the 'most triggered' generation, Gen Z. 

The first trailer from the movie sees him poking fun at TikTok trends, conducting an interview about the threat from Iran while also squeezing shaving cream onto the microphone for ASMR – online clips designed to relax through the use of soft sounds.

While Ali G's X/Twitter account shows he's created a Letterboxd account – a social platform popular among Gen Z that sees users log short ratings and reviews of films. 

Alongside a screenshot of his account, which has seen him list the universally panned Cats film as one of his favourites, he penned: 'Az well as now bein woke me haz also decided to become a gen z - one off de tings us lot do iz go on de Letterboxd, check out me profile. #AliGWhoIzI [sic].' 

Ali G made his on-screen debut in 1998 on Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show, when he would interview prominent public figures in the UK.

The novel interactions made the character a household name, before heading Da Ali G Show from 2000.

Some of his most iconic guests included David and Victoria Beckham when they appeared in a Red Nose Day special in 2001.

Sacha roasted the couple, including speaking about then two-year-old son Brooklyn, saying: 'So, tell me does Brooklyn like your music, or is he getting a bit old for it now?’

Cambridge-educated comedian Sacha decided to retire the character in 2007 as he became more recognisable, restricting the effectiveness of his antics.

In recent years there had been whispers of a comeback, but in 2023 Alf Lawrie, the head of factual entertainment at Channel 4, shut down the rumours, saying the show would never have come to fruition with modern rules.

He mused: 'You can't make Ali G, Borat or Brass Eye now because the rules have changed. You can't hoodwink people on the same grand scale. 

'TV has become a slightly more regulated environment than it was 20 years ago.

'When you were making Borat 20 years ago, you could pretend quite seriously that he was from Kazakhstan and until it aired people had no idea otherwise. These days you can't mislead in the same way...

'We're far more respectful of our contributors now than we used to be. But it means the nature of some satire has changed.'

However, it seems Sacha is ready for the challenge, with the new Ali G movie set to be released in October. 

The latest trailer opens with Ali G saying: 'Yo, it's me Ali G. I'ze been gone for 20 years chillin' and in that time the world went to c**p. There was Covid. Wars. And Ed Sheeran. But I'ze gonna get back on top with a brand new ting called a documentary... 

'For the first time ever, this is with real people not actors. For more than a year we let the cameras follow me everywhere. Nothing was off limits.' 

In the clips, Ali was seen sporting a rastacap as well as his trademark Tommy Gear headwear. A rastacap is a traditional slouchy, large-knit cap or tam designed specifically to cover and protect dreadlocks within Rastafarian culture 

The synopsis for the film reads: 'After twenty years spent “chillin’, tokin’ and bonin’”, Ali G is shocked to discover that his long-term girlfriend, Julie, is eight months pregnant...

'Faced with an extra mouth to feed, he gets off his batty and heads to America to reclaim his former glory… but soon encounters adversaries who will ultimately threaten his and his child’s very existence....'

The film follows 2002s Ali G Indahouse, which featured a glittering cast including Martin Freeman, Charles Dance and Michael Gambon. 

On Monday, the official Ali G Instagram account shared a poster for the film featuring the star in a vast puffer jacket adorned with the name of the film. 

An accompanying caption reading: 'Check it, de worlds biggest puffa worn by the worlds biggest puffer. Respek de erb respek ya nan and respek me trailer droppin tomorrow ', with the wording being a nod to Ali's text speak in the first film. 

He also featured in a video standing in front of Ali's iconic yellow car and rapping about the release of the film to the tune of Humpty Dumpty.  

Ali G: Who Iz I? is to be released in cinemas on October 23