Before Borat There Was Christo: Watch Sacha Baron Cohen's 1990s Albanian Reporter

Borat Sacha Baron CohenIt’s been eight years since Sacha Baron Cohen broke through into the mainstream with “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” and though Cohen hasn’t reached the same level of success on his own since, there’s something to be said for the lasting mark the character has left in American pop culture. As the actor gears up to shoot the action comedy “Grimsby,” now’s the time to take a look back at how the character of “Borat” came to be.

Big thanks to Open Culture for pointing us to a pair of video excerpts from BBC Two’s long-since departed “Comedy Nation” that showcase Borat’s predecessor, Christo. The two characters are virtually the same, the only difference being that Christo is from Albania instead of Kazakhstan.

The two videos show Christo infiltrating the upper class society of Britain and venturing into the world of S&M, which of course means you should probably wait until you’re out of work to watch. Check out the videos below.