What's on: Ali G is back in da house; the Puppy Bowl kicks off

Long before flamboyant, vacuous fashionista Bruno flew in on angel wings and bearded tyrant General Aladeen threw the ashes of Kim Jong-il over American television host Ryan Seacrest at the 2012 Academy Awards, there was the boorish, would-be rapper and self-proclaimed "voice of da yoof", Ali G.

Debuting on British television in 1998, the fake gangsta hip-hopper was the first comic alter ego of Sacha Baron Cohen. Two years later, Ali began hosting his own gig, the Bafta-award-winning Da Ali G Show, which saw him baffle celebrity interviewees with his outrageously ignorant views on social and political issues as they struggled to answer ridiculous questions, unaware they were the butt of his jokes.

It was this show that introduced the world to intrepid Kazakhstani reporter Borat, possibly Baron Cohen's most subversive creation. Borat took the British funnyman's pranks to a whole new level by demonstrating how backward thinking and bigoted people can be: case in point, he got the patrons of a bar in Tucson, in the United States, to join him in singing a chorus of "Throw the Jew down the well".

While the Jewish actor/comedian wisely retired the characters as soon as their exposure grew, Baron Cohen's own blossoming celebrity made it increasingly difficult for him to hoodwink marks.

After all these years, do Borat, Bruno and Ali still pack a punch, or has Baron Cohen's acerbic satire been blunted by time? Well, this Friday you'll be able to decide for yourselves as Ali G Remixed begins on FX (at 10pm).

As the title suggests, this is a repackaged version of the original Da Ali G Show, with fresh intros and outros to each episode from the G-man himself. If you have seen the original series, however, these brief new snippets probably won't persuade you to tune in. In fact, the new segments almost detract from the earlier material. Nevertheless, revisiting this once fearless comedy is a jaw-aching reminder of the comic talents of Mr Baron Cohen. Booyakasha!