The episode originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 23, 2003, and on January 9, 2004 in the United Kingdom on Sky One. Since airing the episode has received mostly positive reviews from critics. IGN.com named the episode the best of the fifteenth season, saying that "It may not be the best episode ever, but hell if it isn't a lot of fun", as well as calling it "extremely funny" and a "high point for the past few seasons". Tony Blair received criticism from a number of commentators for his appearance in the episode due to the fact that he recorded his part at the height of the war in Iraq. "Sunday Telegraph" journalist Jack Roberts noted that it was "not [Blair's] finest hour". On the other hand, Simon Crerar of "The Times" named Blair's appearance as one of the 33 best guest appearances in the show's history, and the BBC classified his appearance as a "PR masterstroke". The episode is included on the "Around the World in 80 D'ohs" DVD.