'Nuff sadness about 7-11' ? Ali G's assault on America begins

With one quip, the man from the Staines Massive unleashed a bolt destined to send US audiences into paroxysms of rage.

"'Nuff sadness since the events of 7-11," Ali G rued with faux-earnestness on the debut of the US version of his British hit series Da Ali G Show late on Friday night.

The message was clear. Anyone who ever had any doubts about the ability of a spoof gangsta rapper with a penchant for garish shell suits to make an impact in America should think again: Ali G was in da house.

Dick Thornburgh almost certainly had no idea who Ali G was when he agreed to grant him an interview. It showed.

Under the circumstances, the former Reagan-era attorney general didn't do so badly when bombarded with such questions as how "well hung" the members of a hung jury might be. As the reality of his situation sank in with the cameras already rolling, Mr Thornburgh was clearly struggling to retain his composure. In the end, he did an admirable job of maintaining the role of straight man.

When, at one point, Ali G asked him about the most appropriate reaction to someone who says "yo mamma's a ho and I know cos I done it with her", he answered with an amiability tinged with just a touch of facetiousness. "You're pushing me – but even at that the law does not permit the taking of another's life."

Ali G's US TV debut – not counting his outing as a limo driver in a Madonna video – was screened late on Friday night on the HBO channel, the home of such hit shows as Sex and the City and The Sopranos.

It's fair to say that, all told, it was a gentle introduction to his unique brand of comic satire and public humiliation. Only a couple of celebrities were put through the wringer in the first half-hour episode – the other being a fellow former attorney general, Ed Meese. His appearance was a scream, the highlight being his acceptance of an invitation to rap a public service announcement urging young people to attend college.

Ali G's other antics included his exuberant participation in a police academy training course in Philadelphia. If anyone found themselves tiring of his street lingo, respite came in the guise of one of Sacha Baron Cohen's other creations. Borat Sagdiye, the spoof Kazakhstani journalist who famously outraged Lady Chelsea after duping her into allowing him to attend etiquette lessons at her London mansion, was on hand to provide some variety. In typical style, he alternately appalled and charmed a dating agency, while a new persona, the flamboyant Bruno from Austria, borrowed a catwalk model's underpants at the New York Fashion Week.

But some cringe-inducing moments are promised. Future victims include Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House of Representatives, Boutros Boutros Ghali, the former UN secretary-general, Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and James Woolsey, the former CIA director!

Both Mr Gingrich and Mr Nader were reported last week to be highly irritated, with Mr Nader even said to be considering legal action. By the time Friday's programme went out, however, both men seemed to have decided it might be better to keep quiet.

Ali G's brand of humour is not entirely new to the US. A very similar formula worked wonders a few years ago for the comedian Tom Green, best known on the gossip circuit as on-off husband of Drew Barrymore. That might explain why HBO has tucked Da Ali G Show into a dark recess of its weekend schedule and commissioned just six episodes initially.

Audience reaction was mixed. One American, a wardrobe designer for television commercials called Wes, who watched the show with the IoS in Los Angeles, said he not only liked it, he found the spoofing quite subtle. But The San Francisco Chronicle doubted whether the show had quite enough sparks to make its mark on the other side of the Atlantic.

"It's a nice gimmick," wrote Tim Goodman. "Too bad the results seem so childishly undeveloped, as Baron Cohen seems content to make everything a sex or scatological joke." He did allow it was good in parts, though: "Ali G is a great character, and he leaves a lasting impression."

The man himself remains unabashed, expressing his admiration for the country that has given the world "McDonald's, gangsta rap, spaghetti and wimmin".

In da house – Ali goes Stateside

At the Philadelphia police academy:

Ali G (radioing in a robbery): "We have one bruvver, one honky and one Spanish."

His partner: "We refer to a person as a white male, not a honky. A honky in the United States is not a nice term for a white person. It's like a slur."

Grilling Dick Thornburgh:

Ali G: "Surely the size of their dongs, whether they is hung, won't affect their judgment."

Thornburgh: "Oh no. A hung jury is one that cannot agree. It has nothing to do with physical characteristics."

Ed Meese's rap song:

"I was attorney general/my name is Meese /I say, go to college/don't carry a piece."

At the Great Expectations dating agency:

Borat (on his ideal date): "She must have good physique ... and must have nice face."

Agency rep Jenny Noel (nodding): "Right, attractive."

Borat: "I will give her TV, remote control, red dress. But if she cheat on me, I will crush her."

Noel (shocked): "Oh no... You can break up with her, but no crushing."

Borat "I like to play table tennis, to shoot dog. I am big like a can of Pepsi."