Ok this is the latest in the saga of who is the stig...
August 23rdIs everything made by Aston Martin better than everything made by Ferrari? Is the Porsche 911 really nothing more than a glorified Volkswagen? Is a three-wheeled Reliant Robin the best possible choice as a replacement for the out-of-service space shuttle? And, finally, Who is the Stig?
These are the ongoing questions asked time and time again by fans of the hit British motoring show Top Gear. And, in the case of the Stig, that topic is also one of Google's most often searched queries. Interestingly enough, those in the know claim they've had the answer for quite some time.
If you don't want the elaborate ruse to be spoiled, stop reading now. Still with us? Okay, good. It's Ben Collins. Allegedly. In this particular case, though, the evidence seems almost indisputable since it comes from financial information obtained from Collins Autosport, Ben Collins' own company.
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According to the paperwork, the former Formula Three racing driver had a big increase in pay in 2003, which just so happens to be the first year in which the White Stig took over for the recently deceased Black Stig. That income was reportedly from "driving services provided for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme." So there you go. Mystery solved?
August 27thWho is the Stig? That question is consistently one of Google's top queries, proving the world wants to know the identity of Top Gear's masked racing driver. But... ask yourself again, Do you really want to know who the Stig is?
As pointed out by Top Gear producer Andy Wilman, part of the reason we all care so much about the Stig is because of the mystery surrounding his identity. What's more, his character is owned and was created and nurtured by the BBC – just the same as a camera or the film used to record a scene belongs to the British broadcaster, so does intellectual property like this suspiciously fast driving character.
We can't argue with that, especially after reading Wilman's take on the subject. Perhaps once the man behind the mask is no longer under the employ of the BBC and bound by his signed contract, we'll be free to know his true identity and read his memoirs. Until then, though, Top Gear seems ready to do all it can to keep the Stig's alter ego a closely guarded secret. Including fighting a battle with HarperCollins in court to keep an autobiography from being published.
August 29thWe saw this one coming; the BBC has apparently sacked The Stig. Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid reports that the Stig, a.k.a. Ben Collins, has been let go and that a new Stig has already replaced him on Top Gear. In fact, the Mirror says it already have pics of the new Stig at a Nürburgring track event, wearing the signature white coveralls and smoked visor helmet. How does the paper know it's not Collins in the photos? Simple: it had another photographer at Ben's house – 1,100 miles away – watching Collins play with his children at the same time.
The firing of the Stig comes a week after a battle erupted over Collins' autobiography, slated for release in September. Details about the Stig's true identity have been trickling out for some time, including the recent discovery that Collins Auto-Sport, a company owned and operated by Ben Collins, claimed income from "driving services for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme."
Of course, this could still just be speculation, and TG may have hired another driver just for that one track event. If Collins has indeed been canned and the show follows form, a segment will be filmed showing the demise of the white Stig and the appearance of his replacement. At least that's what they did when the original black-clad Stig, Perry McCarthy, left the show. Wonder what colors the new Stig will fly...
Source: The Daily Mirror & Autoblog.com
