Sacha Baron Cohen confirms return of Ali G character

Cohen played Ali G in a series of stand-up shows in Australia

Sacha Baron Cohen has confirmed that he has brought back his much loved Ali G character.

The actor previously retired Ali G back in 2007 along with another of his most famous creations, Borat.

However, addressing the rumours that Ali G was returning, Cohen confirmed to GQ that he performed as the character in Australia: “Yes. I just wanted to get on stage and muck around and see what Ali G would be like with a crowd. It was really good fun.”

Cohen also said he would be eager to play the character again in a live comedy setting: “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.”

Da Ali G Show originally ran from 2000 to 2004 on Channel 4 and spawned the movie, Ali G Indahouse, which was released in 2002 to a mixed reception.

The character, which has courted controversy, is intended to be a satire of middle class white people appropriating Black culture but some have accused Cohen of generating humour from depicting Black and working class stereotypes.

Ali G (Getty)

Ali G is also partly based on hip-hop DJ, Tim Westwood.