'Who Is America?' review: Sacha Baron Cohen shocks with segment on guns for pre-schoolers and baffles Trump supporters in new series

As it happened: Bernie Sanders and former Senate Republican leader Trent Lott among those caught up in first episode of comedy series

First look clip from Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Who Is America-'

Sacha Baron Cohen has returned to screens with a provocative new comedy show - and Who is America? is already courting controversy.

In a seven-episode series launched on US cable channel Showtime on Sunday, the British prankster takes on four different personas as he satirises the political and cultural life of the United States in the era of President Donald Trump.

The first is Dr. Billy Wayne Ruddick, founder of fictional right-wing news site Truthbrary.org, whose aim is to take down the “mainstreme” media. In the first episode his target was Bernie Sanders. Dr Nira Cain-N’Degeocello is an extreme liberal shocking Republican Trump supporters.

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There is also freed criminal Ricky Sherman, whose 'personal' paintings are taken to one fine art expert and Erran Morad is a harsh Israeli anti-terrorism expert waving the flag for a new program he calls “Kinderguardians,” which would train kids aged to 16 how to use gun

In the first episode Morad gets two US congressmen to voice support for his fake "Kinderguardians" scheme for children as young as three.

The scheme includes a fake instructional video featuring children's songs and "gunimals" -- weapons adorned with soft toys -- that would purportedly help kids confront the school shootings that have plagued the United States for the past decade.

Republican members of Congress Dana Rohrabacher of California and Joe Wilson of South Carolina, along with former Senate Republican leader Trent Lott, who is now a lobbyist at a Washington law firm, are shown enthusiastically backing the idea, alongside gun rights advocates and a former congressman-turned-talk radio host, Joe Walsh.

Mr Walsh told CNN on Saturday that he was tricked into reading the words off a teleprompter. Mr Walsh, the former congressman from Illinois, told CNN on Saturday that he had been asked by a documentary crew to read lines from a teleprompter endorsing various supposed Israeli innovations, including the idea of arming four-year-olds to defend themselves against terrorists.

Mr Walsh added that he is a fan of Baron Cohen. "He's a funny guy because he gets people to say stupid things."

Reuters contributed to this report

[16 July 2018 02:30 · Kristin Hugo]

The full list of people said to be have been duped by Baron Cohen includes Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin, Howard Dean, Alberto Gonzales, Bernie Sanders, Trent Lott, David Petraeus and Ted Koppel

[16 July 2018 02:33 · Kristin Hugo]

There are a few tweets going around suggesting that anyone that has been duped by the new programme should probably not be involved in any discussions of classified information

[16 July 2018 02:51 · Kristin Hugo]

We are less than 20 minutes away from the start of the programme, but some of those involved have spent all day looking to explain there participation. Former Congressman Joe Walsh says he will "live with" being "got" by Baron Cohen.

[16 July 2018 03:00 · Kristin Hugo]

A number of reviews are already in for Who is America?. Feel free to take a look in the 60 seconds before it starts.

[16 July 2018 03:04 · Kristin Hugo]

Well, we have started as we mean to go on. The 'truther' Republican character is talking to Bernie Sanders about healthcare and has said he would rather be 'raped' then send another dollar to the government.

Controversy straight away.

[16 July 2018 03:06 · Kristin Hugo]

Now we are onto the liberal end of the scale. We are in South Carolina having sinner with a couple of Trump voters.

This will likely get messy. Instead of Grace, Baron Cohen suggests a First Nation chant. 

[16 July 2018 03:08 · Kristin Hugo]

Here we go:

"My son Harvey Milk is not allowed to urinate standing up."

He then talks about his daughter Malala. And talks about her "free bleeding" during her menstruation.

The two poor Trump voters don't know where to look

[16 July 2018 03:10 · Kristin Hugo]

Malala is now "free bleeding on the American flag".

The silence is loaded with tension as they don't answer his monologue.

He adds it started to "look like the Chinese flag". That got a reaction.

[16 July 2018 03:14 · Kristin Hugo]

Now comes British prisoner Ricky Sherman who is trying to get his prison 'painted' feces drawings taken in by a gallery.

[16 July 2018 03:15 · Kristin Hugo]

This has been flagged as the weakest of Baron Cohen's new characters - and you can see why.

He is much better when taking on the political; elements.