The Surrey town made famous by spoof rapper Ali G has officially changed its name in a bid to improve its image. Staines yesterday marked its official rebirth as the more upmarket Staines-upon-Thames ...

nepalnepal — Staines wants the world to know it’s no blot on the landscape. Sandwiched between Heathrow Airport, a cluster of reservoirs and a bleak industrial park, some in this London commuter town ...

Councillors in the Surrey town of Staines, made famous for being the hometown of the Sacha Baron Cohen character Ali G, have voted to 'upgrade' its name to Staines-Upon-Thames. After becoming the butt ...

Staines, located just west of London, has officially changed its name to Staines-upon-Thames in a bid to enhance the town's image. Councillors voted for the change last year because of the Surrey town ...

The town of Staines doesn't have the most laughable name in England — given other towns in the region, like Slack Bottom and Beggars Bush. Still, it has been the butt of jokes as the fictional ...

It has suffered years of ridicule thanks to one of the country's best-loved comics. And it even came in for criticism from an indie band which hails from the town. But the residents of Staines decided ...

This month marks the twentieth anniversary of the film Ali G Indahouse. The comedy debuted in cinemas on March 22, 2002. Directed by Mark Mylod, the feature-length film was based on Sacha Baron ...

Councillors in Staines are considering changing the Surrey town's name to escape arguably its most famous ever resident Ali G. They complain that Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy creation, who proclaimed ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

But a decision to change the name of Staines to Staines-upon-Thames has been criticised for opening up the town to even more ridicule and prompted comparisons to Soviet cities such as Stalingrad. A ...