Why Sacha Baron Cohen’s original ‘voice of da yoof’ Ali G is still his funniest spoof character

HEAR me now! From London, to the USA, Da Ali G Show on Channel 4 was a comedy phenomenon when it hit our screens back in 2000 - giving us some of the best TV Britain has ever seen.

Streetwise Ali G - the comedy persona of a British "rude boy" created by Sasha Baron Cohen - quickly became known as the most outrageous TV character in the world with his savage no-holds-barred interview techniques, garish outfits and over-the-top bling.

He had politicians and celebrities including David and Victoria Beckham squirming at his offensive questions, and US President Donald Trump even stormed out on him in one interview.

Now 18 years on, Ali G is still as popular and funny as he was in the early Noughties - perhaps because no one has ever gone to the same extremes since - with comedians like Keith Lemon struggling to gain similar notoriety in the comedy field.

Tonight the English comedian is back with a brand new undercover series -Who Is America? at 9pm on Channel 4, which shows Sasha in character mocking US politicians including Sarah Palin and Bernie Saunders.

But can Sasha Baron Cohen really create new spoof characters that will live up to the genius of wannabe rude boy Ali G - who made the nation laugh with his "is it because I is black?" punchline?

He didn't manage it with less outrageous Grimsby Brothers, Borat or Bruno - here, we look back why Ali G is still Sasha's funniest spoof character, and show why he's got a lot to live up to...

When he asked David Beckham if he 'knocked one out' over Victoria

The wannabe Rastafarian was never seen without his 90s beanie hat and bomber jackets, accessorised with a thick gold chain, a ‘West Side’ knuckle duster, and a watch emblazoned with the picture of a marijuana leaf.

Back in 2001, Ali G interviewed the Beckhams for Comic Relief - a charity that works to eliminate international poverty.

He started by jumping straight in and insulting David, saying: “Just because this is Comic Relief, it doesn’t mean you have to speak in a silly voice.”

Ali, who constantly referred to himself as black despite clearly being white and British - said he’d wanted to help the charity to "prove that Bob Marley wasn’t the only good thing to come out of Africa" - suggesting he was equally as important.

He then jumped in to ask a red-faced David if he’d ever "knocked one out" over Posh Spice, before referring to her as a "b**ch" and asking her if she "takes it up the bum".

Ali even had the cheek to ask Beckham why he didn't go for Baby Spice, suggesting Victoria was his second choice. They would never agree to that interview now.

When Donald Trump stormed out on him

In a recent interview with Johnathon Ross, Sacha told the chat show host he had been ‘the first person to realise Donald Trump is a d**k’.

In the infamous 2003 interview, Sacha questions Trump about his businesses, before pitching the idea of selling ice-cream cone gloves.

The president then gets so irate that he cuts the interview short and leaves the room with Sacha shouting: “Would you be in on that?”

When he asked animal rights activists about bestiality

Questioning a panel of animal rights activists and wildlife charity CEOs, Ali G asks: “Is it right that some animals have human girlfriends?”

Sensing their confusion, Ali controversially brings up the now-deleted You Tube video of a woman having sex with a horse.

“I saw a video of a Dutch girl going out with a horse,” he explains to the horrified panel, adding that the horse appeared to be enjoying itself.

Ali also confessed that he had held experiments of his own, and admitted to putting a hamster in a microwave.

“Me and my mate Dave wanted to test out a nuclear thing, so we got a hamster and put it in the microwave, and we wanted to see whether it would survive. It did, it was a bit hot, but it was alive,” he explains, leaving the panel speechless.

When he asked a Buzz Aldrin why he didn't walk on the sun...

Ali’s interview with Buzz Aldrin, the former astronaut who, alongside Neil Armstrong, was one of the first two men to walk on the moon, is comedy gold.

After grilling him about why man hasn’t walked on the sun- "even in the winter when it’s cold" - he asks Buzz if he was offended that Armstrong took all of the credit.

He goes on to ask the world-renowned astronaut what the people on the moon were like and whether he’s jealous of Michael Jackson for stealing the moonwalk.

Ali then asks Buzz whether the moon really exists, asking if J Lo has ever been there and what the hotels are like.

When he told environmentalists he'd done bits by the bins with his Julie

Ali G discovered the hard way that the police force don’t take to jokes lightly when he was nearly arrested for inciting a riot at a protest in Crystal Palace.

The wannabe roadman shouted: “You can take our trees but you can’t take our freedom!” at a site where trees were being knocked down to build a new cinema.

Ali was accosted by the environmental protesters for making a mockery of their cause.

He told one: “New cinemas are wicked – what’s the problem?”

Sharing his own experience of frolicking in nature, while standing by a dustbin, he added: “The environment is really important to me. It’s by these recycling bins that I first bonded with me Julie.”

When he told a feminist he'd love to be a sex worker

In response to US feminist Naomi Wolf’s argument that the most erotic thing a man can do for a woman is the dishes, Ali argues: “Isn’t it that figure of eight thing?” - referring to a sex position.

He also argues that the best chefs – Colonel Sanders of KFC and Ronald McDonald  of McDonalds – are men.

Obviously it all starts to go a bit wrong when Naomi is really offended when Ali insists that he’d love to be a sex worker "369 days a year" and calls his girlfriend his "b***h."

The time he questioned why nuns work as part-time strippers…

While discussing the topic of religion with a Catholic priest, Ali asks whether God is just an ‘over-hyped’ version of magician David Blaine, comparing miracles to magic tricks.

“If God has all of these powers, why doesn’t he flex them and show them off? My mate has a nine-incher and he gets it out all the time,” he said.

In what is considered to be one of his most brazen and cringe-worthy episodes, Ali goes on to ask why Jesus has reindeer and why some nuns are strippers.

He tells the priest: “At my mate Ricky C’s 21st party, there was a nun who came in, and within seconds, she had her babylons out, and was licking shaving foam of his butty.”

And why he doesn’t think women should have freedom of speech…

Another day, another panel, and this time the subject is human rights, and the guests include anti-war campaigners and freedom of speech advocates.

Taking part in a debate on the freedom of speech, Ali argues that he would find his girlfriend, who he nicknames ‘me Julie’, too annoying if he allowed her to say what she likes.

“She’s always banging on about Sex and the City or her new shoes…it’s annoying innit?" he says

When he asked Mohamed Al-Fayed about his gentials

There’s not many things that top Ali referring to Mohamed Al-Fayed as ‘a dirty old b***stard’, and asking the multi-billionaire Harrods owner whether he’s rich enough to pay for someone to clean his balls.

“I’d need a whole workforce to clean mine. Not because they’re so dirty, but because they’re so big,” Ali brags.

Mohamed quips: “I’ll send you my cleaner. They have special hoovers. They will suck your balls off!”

Ali then takes on Mohamed in a rap battle - and asks him if he can steal from Harrods next time he goes shopping.

When he asked if Saddam Hussein could make a BLT

Discussing the very serious topic of weapons of mass destruction with political commentator Pat Buchanan in the era of Bush, Ali mistakes the WMD (weapons of mass destruction) abbreviation for BLT ( bacon, lettuce and tomato sarnie).

What's funnier is that Buchanan still thinks he's talking about weapons - and the conversation continues with Sli talking about sandwiches and the politician talking about bombs.

What ensues is a painfully awkward yet hilarious debate on whether Saddam Hussein had BLTs in his house and whether he had the ability to make them - which is only made worse by the mention of mustard gas…

Who Is America? airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 4