Meeting the character known as Ali G in an independent chicken shop in Staines is an exercise in continuity. A simple misunderstanding led to the rendezvous; he had originally agreed to the interview under the impression it was for the show Chicken Shop Date, a program he claimed was “90% likely to lead to boning.” During the meeting, he shared an explicit story regarding his history with “me Julie” in the restrooms of an Egham KFC. Speaking to a Guardian journalist ain’t a good look for me in the hood.”. He follows this with an entirely unprintable reminiscence about the first time he and “me Julie” had sex in the disabled toilets of Egham KFC. Now that we have established I am not in fact Amelia Dimoldenberg – and that any boning today will be strictly chicken-related – Ali changes tack. He is wearing four watches. “Dem are for different time zones – dis one is Staines, dis one is Egham, dis one iz Langley Village and dis one iz Scrotland, more bafflingly. But I should probably attempt to conduct the interview I actually came here for, there is plenty more to take in. Are you and your Julie going to NCT classes.
While attempting to navigate the menu—and inquiring about how much he would need to spend to hit a £500 bill since the press was paying—the character maintained his signature persona. Despite the passage of 24 years since his last cinematic appearance in Ali G Indahouse, little has shifted in his outlook, even as the UK has navigated nine prime ministers, the #MeToo movement, Black Lives Matter, and a global pandemic. As noted in the trailer for his new project, Ali G: Who Iz I?, he views the era simply: “The world went to crap: there was Covid, wars and Ed Sheeran.” He starts asking what else he would need to buy to get the bill up to £500, after discovering that is footing it, having seemingly worked his way through the entire menu. It is, in other words, reassuringly easy to tell that not everything about Ali G has changed, even though a lot has happened in the “20 decades” (he means 24 years) since he was last on the big screen in Ali G Indahouse. Which is how, 24 years after Ali G first took his home town of Staines global, I find myself sitting opposite him in his old manor, trying to work out whether the UK is ready to show him some respect again. When me filled it with water and the three of us got in, it was too heavy and broke through the floor and landed on me Nan, who was sitting in the room downstairs, me put it upstairs at Nan’s house. Anyway, when one life ends, another one starts, and me iz loving being a dad.
His return has not been universally welcomed.
The release of the film’s trailer drew criticism, with some commentators suggesting that his use of faux-Jamaican slang, dreadlocks, and Rastafarian imagery now feels less like satire and more like dated, insensitive racial caricature. Currently, he drives the same yellow Renault 5 seen in his previous film, now fitted with a makeshift Uber sign. He attributes his jewelry—a diamond teddy bear necklace—to the crown jewels, claiming he purchased it for £20,000 from a former Windsor Castle dog washer at the Crooked Billet pub in Iver Heath. Now with a homemade Uber sign stuck in the windscreen, parked outside is the same yellow Renault 5 I remember from Indahouse. Around his neck hangs a diamond teddy bear clutching two sacks of money. It “used to be part of the crown jewels and was worn by the queen, RIP.
When questioned about his identity and his status with the Staines Benefits Office, he listed aliases including Richard Watkins, Kelvin Matthews, and Priyanka Patel, while noting his friends know him as “De G” or “De Ali-torney G-eneral.” Addressing the absence of dreadlocks, he clarified he never actually had them. He insists his Rasta bonnet serves a tactical purpose: hiding his marijuana supply, claiming police are hesitant to search beneath it for religious reasons. He loudly explains, to my embarrassment, that we are actually conducting a major drug deal, whenever anyone comes near our table. The ganja, me wears the Rasta bonnet because – and me iz trusting you to keep dis secret – dat’s where me keeps me stash. Completely squashed her, luckily it killed her instantly. Me had bought her a new pair of double-F swingaz for her 88th birthday, she died happy because just one week before. Although one time we also prepared with Cheryl from Abrakebabra in dis marble Jacuzzi me bought off eBay, which tragically didn’t end well, me usually just prepared with me Julie. The weight of the Jacuzzi caused them to literally explode; one of her nipples was found three streets away.
Regarding his personal life, he claims to have become a father, a role he says he prepared for daily over four decades. He described his infant son as remarkably advanced, noting the baby can already listen to audiobooks at six months old. He jokingly mentioned his son shares his own personality traits, specifically an interest in his partner’s chest, which he refers to as “swingaz.” “Can you tell people that you’re from Hustler. Something dat for the last 40 years me has prepared for five times every day, me has actually already become a daddy.
The town of Staines, which officially rebranded to Staines-upon-Thames in 2012, has seen local petitions advocating for a statue of him. When asked if he would model for such a memorial—perhaps in the style of Michelangelo’s David—he remained characteristically dismissive of the town’s administrative changes. He also addressed the long hiatus between films, claiming he has produced hundreds of private projects with his partner that he hopes to eventually market to streaming platforms. So they added it to the name, innit, it’s because in 2012 the River Thames started flowing through the town.
The reception to his comeback remains divided. While critics such as Arwa Mahdawi and Jason Okundaye have voiced opposition, citing shifts in cultural sensitivities, figures like Jacob Rees-Mogg have defended the work as “clever, satiric humour.” Responding to the rise of social media influencers and TikTok personalities who use interview formats, Ali G argues that many are simply appropriating his aesthetic and style, which he views as a form of theft.
Looking toward his future interview targets, he expressed a desire to speak with figures like Sydney Sweeney, though he remains focused on his core pursuit of challenging the status quo. Reflecting on his past work, he identified Donald Trump as the least intelligent person he has ever encountered, questioning how he ever reached the position of US president. Ali G: Who Iz I? is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on 23 October.
