It was meant to be a Not the Nine 0'Clock news for the Millennium
- a nightly satirical look at the news and society.
What it actually did was launch the career of Ali G - alias Sacha
Baron Cohen - the leader of the Staines Massive.
Ali's role on the show was to interview important political figures
who were told he was a simple kids' TV presenter.
By asking deceptively naive questions he would trick interviewees
into revealing the ludicrousness of their policies or showing how
out-of-touch they were.
They often ended up unwittingly spouting double entendres about
drugs, violence, or sex.
