EXCLUSIVE: Staines re-branded to escape the stain of Ali G in 2012 and it seems they are trying to distance itself from the spoof rapper with its ten-screen cinema not showing the film
Staines has snubbed ‘homeboy’ Ali G after refusing to show his new film in the town’s cinema.
Sacha Baron Cohen has brought the comedy character back to life after almost 25 years away – but not everyone is laughing. Ali G Who Iz I? has been met with a fierce backlash and mixed reviews with a petition launched to ban the new movie from theatres.
Critics have accused the actor of perpetuating racial stereotypes, and the weed-smoking head of the Staines Massive doesn’t seem to have the support of his beloved hometown, either.
After council officials were forced to re-brand the Surrey town to Staines-upon-Thamas to try and shake off the links to the spoof rapper, Vue Cinema will not be showing the film of their most famous resident – despite Cohen turning up at the Two Rivers venue last week in his iconic get-up to push the film.
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Locals have been left scratching their heads with the ten-screen cinema deciding against putting on the production, even though the film is showing at more than 70 other Vue locations across the UK. The Mirror have approached the company for comment.
Councillors voted for to change the town’s name in 2012 after the areas became synonymous Ali G, who labelled Staines a ‘ghetto’ before rolling around on a blinged-out mobility scooter.
Last month, officials threw out a petition for a statue after reducing the town to ridicule.
Local MP Colin Davis, who was behind the name change, believed its image needed a revamp and said: “Ali G may have had a role, but I think it goes back further than that.
“I regard Ali G as someone who put Staines on the map, we’re just telling people where it is.”
The film hoodwinks people to expose their prejudices and is coming to streaming less than a week after the film was released in cinemas.
Ali G Who Iz I? has been largely panned by critics and boasts only a 48 per cent score on review site Rotten Tomatoes.
The character was first invented as “the voice of youth” on Channel 4’s The 11 O’Clock Show in 1998. Then in the 2000s he led the Da Ali G Show, and then had his own starring role in the 2002 film Ali G Indahouse
But after the character was a hit in the 90s, 2026 audiences have called the act ‘outdated’ and ‘offensive.’
But the character and Cohen have plenty of fans – with local Alex Balkan starting a petition to put pressure on the council to celebrate the star.
“Ali G and the Staines Massive have given Staines a distinctive place in British popular culture,” he said. “The release of a new film provides an opportunity to celebrate that connection, promote the town centre and create a lasting community benefit.
“The petition does not ask the Council to immediately purchase a statue using Council Tax. It asks the Council to bring together the right partners, test a temporary attraction and consider a permanent landmark where it is feasible, properly licensed and externally funded.
“We believe Staines should embrace the attention with humour and pride, while using it to support the next generation of the Staines Massive.”
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