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{{short description|Mysterious driver in TV motoring show Top Gear}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox character
| name = The Stig
| portrayer = [[Perry McCarthy]] (2002–2003)<br />[[Ben Collins (racing driver)|Ben Collins]] (2003–2010) <!-- Do not add Michael Schumacher as this was an in-episode joke only.--><br />[[Phil Keen]]<ref name="ThirdIdentity">{{Cite web|date=16 September 2024|title=Jeremy Clarkson giving a Q&A after a private screening of The Grand Tour: One For The Road|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmyEe2Iw4dk&t=91s |website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> (2010–2022)
| creator = [[Andy Wilman]]<br />[[Jeremy Clarkson]]
| series = [[Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear]]
| image = [[File:TheStig.jpg|240px]]
| caption = The Stig costume on display at the [[National Motor Museum, Beaulieu]]
| first = 20 October 2002
| occupation = Test driver and trainer for celebrity guests
}}
'''The Stig''' is a character from the [[United Kingdom|British]] motoring television show ''[[Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear]]''. Created by former ''Top Gear'' presenter [[Jeremy Clarkson]] and producer [[Andy Wilman]], the character is a play on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face [[helmet]]s, with the [[running joke]] that nobody knows who or what is inside the Stig's racing suit. The Stig's primary role is setting [[List of Top Gear test track Power Lap times|lap times]] for cars tested on the show. Previously, he would also instruct celebrity guests, off-camera, for the show's "[[Star in a Reasonably Priced Car]]" segment.
The identity of the original "Black" Stig, [[Perry McCarthy]], was exposed by a Sunday newspaper in January 2003, and confirmed by McCarthy later that year. The black-suited Stig was subsequently "killed off" that October in the series 3 premiere, and replaced in the following episode by a new White Stig who lasted through to the end of series 15.
In [[Top Gear series 13#ep106|series 13 episode 1]], the show jokingly unmasked the Stig as seven-time world champion F1 driver [[Michael Schumacher]]. In the hiatus following series 15, racing driver [[Ben Collins (racing driver)|Ben Collins]] was revealed to be the Stig in a court battle over Collins's impending autobiography, titled ''The Man in the White Suit''. In series 16, debuting in December 2010, Collins was replaced by a second White Stig, who was revealed by Clarkson in 2024 to be racing driver [[Phil Keen]].
==Creation and name==
The idea for the character was part of former host Jeremy Clarkson and former producer Andy Wilman's concept for the relaunched ''Top Gear'' show, bringing a new format to the [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)|original version of ''Top Gear'']] which ceased production in 2001. The relaunched show introduced a live studio audience, the Stig, a racetrack, and madcap stunts.<ref name="Ti">{{Cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/article586470.ece?token=null&offset=0 |title=Entertainment: The backroom boy who put Top Gear on top of the world |date=6 November 2005 |work=[[The Sunday Times]] |access-date=27 August 2010 |___location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Clarkson is credited with having come up with the original idea for the Stig.<ref name="ST">{{Cite news |last=Dunn |first=Joseph |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/the-stig-the-man-with-no-name-mbc6kjxkwk7 |title=The Stig, the man with no name |date=30 January 2009 |work=[[The Sunday Times]] |access-date=27 August 2010 |___location=London}}</ref>
Clarkson and Wilman wanted to have a professional racing driver as part of the show's cast, but ran into difficulty finding a driver sufficiently adept at speaking on-camera. Clarkson then asked Wilman why the driver needed to speak at all, and they decided that the Stig's role would be silent.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWtwO2XG8NQ&t=706s | title=Meet My Top Gear Boss: ANDY WILMAN | website=[[YouTube]] | date=25 February 2024 }}</ref>
The name Stig derives from Wilman and Clarkson's time at [[Repton School]], where new boys had always been called "Stig".<ref name=Ti/><ref name="o6">{{Cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/features/article687728.ece |title=Bad boys are back in town |date=16 July 2006 |work=[[The Sunday Times]] |access-date=27 August 2010 |___location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> "Stig" is a pejorative referring to someone from a poor background with a poor dress sense (originating from the eponymous character in the children's book ''[[Stig of the Dump]]'').<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.yourdictionary.com/stig |title=Stig dictionary definition {{!}} stig defined |website=www.yourdictionary.com |access-date=2020-04-03}}</ref>
According to the original Stig, Perry McCarthy, speaking in 2006, the producers had first wanted the anonymous driver to be called "The Gimp", referring to the use of [[Bondage suit|gimp suits]] in [[BDSM]] sexual role-playing. After McCarthy objected, they settled upon the name Stig.<ref name="ATO">{{Cite web |url=http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/FEATURES/32815.html |title=Auto Talk – The original Stig speaks |last=Collantine |first=Keith |date=1 November 2006 |publisher=Auto Trader |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421000317/http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/FEATURES/32815.html |archive-date=21 April 2010 |access-date=27 August 2010 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> McCarthy had said of the idea at the time that "I don't want to be forever remembered as the Gimp".<ref name=ST/>
==Characteristics==
===Anonymity and silence===
When introducing the Stig in the ''Top Gear'' premiere, Clarkson said, "We don't know its name, we really don't know its name, nobody knows its name, and we don't want to know, because it's a racing driver."<ref group="ep" name="1.1"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Stig's FIRST APPEARANCE {{!}} Lamborghini Murcielago vs Pagani Zonda {{!}} Top Gear| date=27 November 2009 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZUIKmUOyWs|language=en|access-date=2021-06-01|website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
According to a 2006 article in ''[[The Sunday Times]]'', most of the ''Top Gear'' crew did not know the Stig's identity; one camera assistant reportedly observed the Stig eating his lunch in the back of an ambulance to avoid being spotted.<ref name=o6/> In 2009, another ''Times'' article reiterated that only a few production staff, the show's presenters and other [[BBC]] journalists knew the Stig's true identity.<ref name=ST/>
Former Stig [[Perry McCarthy]] described in 2009 how, to maintain his anonymity, he would put on the Stig's helmet while going through the ''Top Gear'' security gates, and then change into his racing overalls in a special room behind the gatehouse before driving into the studio areas. He would speak as little as possible in the backstage areas, and put on an accent which some mistook as French.<ref name=ST/> McCarthy also explained that hiding his identity while coaching the celebrities for "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" proved difficult. He said that he did reveal his true identity while coaching [[Ross Kemp]] and [[David Soul]], as he had previously known them and they promised that they would be silent about his role. For other drives, if celebrities asked if he was a particular person, he would just say "How did you know?", adding that more often than not, the suggestion was [[Michael Schumacher]].<ref name=ST/>
The Stig is never shown talking on screen, although he does talk with celebrities off-camera while training them to drive around the track. Clarkson has joked that he is "not a very talkative chap".<ref name=o6/> When asked about his identity in a rare spoken interview for the show ''Veronica Vibes'' of a Dutch channel, the Stig reportedly said, "I don't remember; my memory was erased when I got the job."<ref name="S8">{{Cite news |url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/tvradio/Some-say-he39s-Top-Gear39s.3923643.jp |title=Some say he's Top Gear's true star. We only know he's The Stig |date=28 March 2008 |work=The Scotsman |access-date=31 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110104044753/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/tvradio/Some-say-he39s-Top-Gear39s.3923643.jp |archive-date=4 January 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The Stig's muteness has extended to appearances in other media, such as the "Brain Stig" video released by the BBC on [[YouTube]] in 2009.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmdnudxCd5s |title=Brain Stig – TopGear.com viral – BBC Top Gear |date=12 January 2009 |access-date=29 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007015627/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmdnudxCd5s |archive-date=7 October 2013 |work=Top Gear's channel |via=[[YouTube]] |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4227488/The-Stig-stars-in-viral-Top-Gear-internet-video.html |title=The Stig stars in viral Top Gear internet video |date=13 January 2009 |work=The Telegraph |access-date=27 August 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221192412/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4227488/The-Stig-stars-in-viral-Top-Gear-internet-video.html |archive-date=21 February 2009 |___location=London |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
Clarkson has written in his newspaper column that the Stig is not permitted to talk or comment on the cars he is given to drive because "the opinions of all racing drivers are completely worthless", going on to explain that, because of their familiarity with cars equipped for track racing, racing drivers believe any and all road cars are inferior to racing cars.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clarkson |first=Jeremy |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article2503695.ece |title=Volvo XC70 SE Sport |date=23 September 2007 |work=The Sunday Times – reprinted in [[Driven to Distraction (2009)|Driven to Distraction]] |access-date=27 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529140940/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article2503695.ece |archive-date=29 May 2010 |___location=London |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
===Driving ability===
The show has often compared the Stig's driving ability to others, particularly [[Formula One]] drivers. When Jeremy Clarkson said that the Stig believed that the [[Suzuki Liana]], the show's Reasonably Priced Car at the time, could do a lap time of 1:44.0, former F1 driver [[Nigel Mansell]], appearing as a guest on the programme, duly obliged by posting a time of 1:44.6; the Stig then posted a time of 1:44.4.<ref group="ep" name="7.5"/> After [[Rubens Barrichello]] became the first person to beat the Stig's time (coming in at 1:44.3), the show repeatedly referred to a jealous rivalry between the Stig and Barrichello. [[Sebastian Vettel]] then further beat this time by posting a time of 1:44.0. A while later, [[Lewis Hamilton]] did a second lap and got a 1:42.9.<ref group="ep">{{Cite episode |series=Top Gear (2002 TV series) |series-no=17 |number=3 |series-link=Top Gear series 17 |airdate=10 July 2011}}</ref> Clarkson has often mentioned that F1 drivers seem to take a different racing line on the test track than the Stig, such as on [[Jenson Button]]'s drive;<ref group="ep" name="8.8"/> however, during Barrichello's and Lewis Hamilton's visits to the show, Clarkson observed that they took the same line around the track as The Stig.<ref name="10.8" group="ep">{{Cite episode |series=Top Gear (2002 TV series) |series-no=10 |number=8 |series-link=Top Gear series 10 |airdate=7 December 2007}}</ref> F1 driver [[Mark Webber (racing driver)|Mark Webber]]'s appearance on the show was marked at the conclusion of his lap with Clarkson presenting him with an "I AM THE STIG" T-shirt.<ref group="ep" name="6.10"/>
===Introductions===
The Stig's introductions on the show have underlined his oddness. Initially the presenters heralded his appearance with simple humorous introductions, such as "[[His Holiness]], the Stig!"<ref group="ep" name="2.1"/> Beginning in series 6, the introductions began to follow a format of, "Some say that [two bizarre characteristics]. All we know is, he's called the Stig." Characteristics described in this format include:
* He gets terrible [[eczema]] on his helmet
* When he was born, he drove himself home from the hospital
* Wherever you are in the world, if you tune your [[radio]] to 88.4, you can actually hear his thoughts
* He has no face
* He has a [[digital data|digital]] face<ref name=intro/>
* He has a full-sized [[tattoo]] of his face on his face
* He never blinks<ref name="ST" />
* He blinks horizontally
* His tears are adhesive
* His ears aren't where you'd expect them to be
* His ears have a [[Paisley (design)|Paisley]] lining
* His earwax tastes of [[Turkish Delight]]
* He can catch [[fish]] with his tongue
* His [[teeth]] glow in the dark
* His breath smells of [[magnesium]]
* His voice can only be heard by [[cats]]
* In the [[autumn]] his arms go brown and fall off
* His nipples are explosive
* The outline of his left nipple is exactly the same shape as the [[Nürburgring]]
* His [[heart]] ticks like a watch
* His heart is upside-down
* His genitals are on upside-down
* He has webbed buttocks
* When he slows down, brake lights come on in his buttocks
* When he sees a woman, his third leg will go up
* His legs are [[hydraulic]]
* He has two sets of knees
* He has to take his shoes off with an [[Allen key]]
* His sweat can be used to clean precious metals
* His skin has the texture of a [[dolphin]]
* On really warm days he sheds his skin like a [[snake]]
* He is allergic to the [[Dutch people|Dutch]]
* He naturally faces [[magnetic north]]<ref name="intro">{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/05/26/the-20-best-things-the-top-gear-team-have-said-about-the-stig/top-gear-the-stig-introductions/ |title=The 20 best things the Top Gear team have said about The Stig |date=27 May 2016 |work=The Telegraph |access-date=25 December 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226060123/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/05/26/the-20-best-things-the-top-gear-team-have-said-about-the-stig/top-gear-the-stig-introductions/ |archive-date=26 December 2016 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* He lives in a [[tree]]
* He roams around the woods at night foraging for [[wolves]]
* He sleeps upside-down like a [[bat]]
* The drinks cabinet in his car contains 14 different types of [[custard]]<ref group="ep" name="14.4"/>
* His favourite T-shirt has a picture of a T-shirt
* He will charge you if you attempt to remove his helmet
* He thought ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' was a documentary
* He knows two facts about ducks and both of them are wrong
* He thinks the credit crunch is a breakfast cereal
* He won a [[BAFTA]] for Best Original Smell
* He thinks when he dies he will go to [[Devon]]
* His favourite flower is the [[potato]]
* He thinks crisps are animals
* If he caught fire he would burn for 1000 days
* He can swim seven lengths underwater
* He once threw a microwave oven at a tramp
* He has twelve [[GCSE]]s, all of which are in domestic science
* He has some terrible plans involving the [[Moon]]
* His [[New Year]]’s resolution is to eat fewer [[mice]]
* He keeps a photograph of his wallet in his wallet
* He can’t eat mashed potato for religious reasons
* He refuses to acknowledge the existence of [[Nottinghamshire]]
* He got engaged to James May’s lawnmower following the vote on gay marriage
* He is married to one of [[Anne, Princess Royal|Princess Anne]]'s hats
* He has no understanding of queueing
* He is confused by stairs
* He has no understanding of [[cloud]]s
* He is absolutely baffled by urinals
* He doesn’t know what [[dog]]s are for
* He doesn’t understand the word “envelope”
* He submitted a 20,000 pound expenses claim for some [[gravel]] for his moat
* He invented [[November]]
* He invented [[Branston Pickle]]
* If he felt like it, he could fire [[Alan Sugar]]
* If he could be bothered, he could crack the [[The Da Vinci Code|Da Vinci code]] in 43 seconds
* He appears on high-value stamps in [[Sweden]]
* There is an airport in [[Russia]] named after him
* He had an affair with [[John Prescott]]
* He is wanted by the [[CIA]]
* He has been banned from the [[Chelsea Flower Show]]
* He is banned from the town of [[Chichester]]
* He is not allowed by law within 100 yards of [[Lorraine Kelly]]
* He is illegal in 17 [[U.S. state]]s
* He is afraid of [[bell]]s
* He is terrified of [[ducks]]
* He is terrified of [[Scouts]]
* His first name really is "The"
* If he went on ''[[Love Island (2005 TV series)|Celebrity Love Island]]'', they'd all be pregnant, including the cameramen
* He once had a vicious knife fight with [[Anthea Turner]]
* If you lick his chest it tastes exactly the same as [[piccalilli]]
* His crash helmet is modeled on [[Britney Spears]]'s head
* He isnt machine-washable
* All his potted plants are called Steve
* His [[scrotum]] has its own small [[Gravitational field|gravity field]]
Some introductions have referred to current events and stories in popular culture, such as:
* "If you insult his mother, he ''will'' headbutt you in the chest" (a reference to [[Zinedine Zidane]]'s headbutting incident and subsequent sending-off in the [[2006 FIFA World Cup final]])
* "If you give him a really important job, he'll skive off and play [[croquet]]" (a reference to Deputy Prime Minister [[John Prescott]] in 2006)<ref group="ep" name="8.5"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/secrets-of-the-stig-top-gears-mystery-372174 |title=Secrets of the Stig: Top Gear's mystery driver unmasked |website=[[Daily Mirror]] |date=20 January 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143644/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/secrets-of-the-stig-top-gears-mystery-372174 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |access-date=7 June 2018 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* "Has dreams about what [[Rubens Barrichello]] would look like in a ham slicer" (a reference to Barrichello being faster than the Stig around the test track the week before)
* "If he was getting a divorce from [[Paul McCartney]], he'd keep his stupid whining mouth shut" (a reference to McCartney's divorce from [[Heather Mills]] in 2008)
* "He always wears a helmet because a man once smashed him in the face with a model of Salisbury Cathedral" (a reference to the [[Silvio Berlusconi#Health|Silvio Berlusconi assault]] with an alabaster statuette of [[Milan Cathedral]] in December 2009)<ref name="Ref_2009ar">{{Cite news |url=http://www.repubblica.it/2009/12/sezioni/politica/giustizia-22/testimone-nuovo/testimone-nuovo.html |title=Tartaglia interrogato dai pm 'Gesto folle, ma premeditato' |date=15 December 2009 |work=La Repubblica |access-date=26 November 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029205023/http://www.repubblica.it/2009/12/sezioni/politica/giustizia-22/testimone-nuovo/testimone-nuovo.html |archive-date=29 October 2013 |language=it |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* "He's banned from the town of [[Chichester]] and..., in a recent late-night deal, he bought a slightly dented white [[Fiat Uno]] from the [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Duke of Edinburgh]]" (a reference to [[Conspiracy theories about the death of Diana, Princess of Wales|conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Princess Diana]])
* "If you hold him in the wrong way, he doesn't work properly" (a reference to the [[iPhone 4]]'s death grip)
* "He regrets buying his new holiday home in down-town [[Cairo]]" (a reference to the [[Arab Spring]] in early 2011)
* “That sixty years ago this week, he too became a [[Elizabeth II | Queen]]” (a reference to the [[Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II]], in 2012)
* "He contains 47% horse" (a reference to the [[2013 horse meat scandal]])
* "He used to work in Rome, but gave up his job to be able to keep up with his work here" (after the [[Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI|Pope's retirement]] in early 2013)
* "As a result of buying Pirelli condoms this week, he now has seventeen children" (reference to multiple cars suffering blown Pirelli tyres at the [[2013 British Grand Prix]])
* "On a recent trip to Cornwall, he stopped off for one of his special, big wees in Somerset" (a reference to the [[Winter flooding of 2013–14 on the Somerset Levels|2013 Somerset flooding]])
* "If he had worked for [[CNN]], he wouldn't have got such pitifully low ratings that his show got cancelled" (a reference to the cancellation of ''[[Piers Morgan Live]]'')
* "While we were off air, his [[iCloud]] was hacked and now everyone in the world has seen his helmet" (a reference to the [[2014 celebrity nude photo leak]])
* "Last week, he was found in a locked room, tied to a chair with German piano wire" (the week after [[Michael Schumacher]] was "revealed" as The Stig)
* "He once punched a horse to the ground" (a reference to the story of [[Roberto Durán]] having done so)
* "Long before anyone else, he realised that [[Jade Goody]] was a racist, pig-faced waste of blood and organs." (in reference to the [[Celebrity Big Brother (British series 5) racism controversy|''Celebrity Big Brother'' racism controversy]])
* "He is in no way implicated in the [[Cash-for-Honours scandal]]." (in reference to the Cash-for-Honours scandal)
* "If he'd been the video ref (referee) for the [[Rugby League World Cup|World Cup of Rugby]] final he would've seen that of course it was a try you blind Australian half-wit." (in reference to the [[2007 Rugby World Cup final]] in which England's [[Mark Cueto]] appeared to score a try which was ruled out by the referee, an Australian by the name of Stuart Dickinson)
===Other characteristics===
In the Stig's debut, he was described by Clarkson as having a very small brain, worthless opinions, and a disorder called "[[Nigel Mansell|Mansell]] Syndrome".<ref group="ep" name="1.1"/> Richard Porter, Top Gear's script editor, described the Stig as "single minded, stubborn and hilariously petulant; specifically, a mix of [[Kimi Räikkönen#Public persona and reaction|Kimi Räikkönen]], [[Chris Lowe|the keyboard player from Pet Shop Boys]], and a 15-year-old boy forced to go on holiday with his parents."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sniffpetrol.com/2015/06/05/some-say/ |title=Some say… |last=Porter |first=Richard |website=[[Sniff Petrol]] |date=5 June 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702213500/http://sniffpetrol.com/2015/06/05/some-say/ |archive-date=2 July 2015 |access-date=12 July 2015 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> He has been depicted as a piece of cargo, being collected by Clarkson from the baggage conveyor at the airport;<ref group="ep" name="7.1"/> he has also been shown stored in a cupboard when not in use.
It has been said that the Stig "has no understanding of money" and during challenges he has been shown using an [[Oyster card]] to access London public transportation, and a credit card in the name of "The Stig" issued by the "Bank of Money" to obtain petrol. The show has also featured the Stig's listening habits, as heard on the car stereo as he drives laps. Often a specific genre is chosen for one or more series. The Stig has been shown listening to:
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|style=font-size:100%|
* [[Power ballad]]s
* [[One-hit wonder]]s
* [[Easy listening]]
* [[Country and western]]
* [[Morse code]]<ref>[http://www.web-translations.com/blog/top-gear-morse-code-translation/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314043447/http://www.web-translations.com/blog/top-gear-morse-code-translation/ |date=14 March 2018 }} "I Like [[Gary Numan]]", "I Love cheese", "I like [[Mr Sulu]]", "I voted for [[Ross Perot]]", "''[[Strictly Come Dancing]]'' is crap", "Too Many gears"</ref>
* [[Progressive rock]]
* [[Whale sound]]s
* [[Baroque music]]
* Advertising jingles
* Foreign language learning tapes
* Romantic audio novels
* Salesman techniques
* [[ABBA]] (in French and Spanish)
* [[Elton John]]
* [[Bee Gees]] (including, in one episode, the Bee Gees in [[German language|German]])
* [[The Bangles]] (in [[German language|German]])
* Speeches of [[Margaret Thatcher]]
* [[Self-help]] tapes
* [[Pipe band]] music
* [[Chas & Dave]]
* [[Vuvuzela]]s
* [[National anthem]]s
* [[The Archers]]
* [[Tuvan throat singing]]
* [[The Carpenters]]
}}
In 2008, the Stig appeared at the [[National Television Awards]], where he silently accepted an award and handed award presenter [[Griff Rhys Jones]] a letter from the ''Top Gear'' hosts, which instructed Jones to give the Stig the award in his left hand, as his right one is magnetic, and cautioning organisers that he wasn't to be seated near the cast of ''[[Coronation Street]]'', as "he's decided all [[Northern England|northerners]] are edible".<ref name="TGB">{{Cite web |url=http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2008/10/29/weve-won-a-telly-award/ |title=We won a telly award |date=29 October 2009 |website=Top Gear news blog |publisher=Top Gear (2002 TV series) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212163146/http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2008/10/29/weve-won-a-telly-award/ |archive-date=12 February 2009 |access-date=27 August 2010}}</ref>
==Role==
In the ''Top Gear'' end credits, the Stig is credited alongside Jeremy Clarkson, [[Richard Hammond]], and [[James May]] as a presenter. The Stig's primary role on the show is at the [[Top Gear test track|''Top Gear'' test track]] at the show's base at [[Dunsfold Aerodrome]], Surrey. His two main functions are to post lap times for featured performance cars in the "Power Laps" segment, and to train celebrity guests to set lap times in the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment,<ref name="Tel">{{Cite news |last=Jamieson |first=Alastair |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7953303/BBC-lawyers-fight-to-keep-Top-Gears-The-Stig-secret.html |title=BBC lawyers fight to keep Top Gear's The Stig secret |date=19 August 2010 |work=The Telegraph |access-date=1 September 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100826004305/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7953303/BBC-lawyers-fight-to-keep-Top-Gears-The-Stig-secret.html |archive-date=26 August 2010 |___location=London |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Gd">{{Cite news |last=Robinson |first=James |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/aug/19/top-gear-stig-autobiography |title=Top Gear's Stig threatened by BBC lawyers over autobiography plan |date=19 August 2010 |work=The Guardian |access-date=1 September 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140213111635/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/aug/19/top-gear-stig-autobiography |archive-date=13 February 2014 |___location=London |df=dmy-all}}</ref> although [[Chris Harris (journalist)|Chris Harris]] later took on the instructional role.
The ''Top Gear'' website describes the Stig's test-driving role as follows:
When first introduced, the Stig was described as the resident test driver, as the presenters could not consistently post fast times themselves. His stated mission was to "just go out there and drive fast".<ref group="ep" name="1.1"/> The original Stig, Perry McCarthy, described in 2006 how a racing driver was intended to be used as part of the presenting team in order to produce definitive fastest lap times for tested cars.<ref name=ATO/>
==Identity==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
* [[Perry McCarthy]] – (2002–2003)
* [[Ben Collins (racing driver)|Ben Collins]] – (2003–2010)
* [[Phil Keen]] – (2010–2022){{col-end}}
===Black Stig===
{{Infobox soap character
| name = The Stig (Black)
| series = [[Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear]]
| image = [[File:Black stig.jpg|200px]]
| caption =
| years = 2002–2003
| first = 20 October 2002<br />([[Top Gear series 1|Series 1]]; Episode 1)
| last = 26 October 2003<br />([[Top Gear series 3|Series 3]]; Episode 1)
| portrayer = [[Perry McCarthy]], occasionally others
}}
Racing driver [[Perry McCarthy]] appeared in 22 ''Top Gear'' episodes as the black-suited, original Stig.<ref name=ST/><ref name="TIIS">{{Cite news |last=Malvern |first=Jack |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/article6550528.ece |title=And the true identity of The Stig is . . . . Michael Schumacher |date=22 June 2009 |work=The Times |access-date=27 August 2010 |___location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
McCarthy was cast as the Stig following a chance meeting with Jeremy Clarkson at the 2002 launch party for McCarthy's autobiography, ''[[Flat Out, Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way!]]''.<ref name=ST/><ref name="Aw">{{Cite web |url=http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/FEATURES/AUTOTALK/top_gears_original_stig_exclusive_interview.html |title=Top Gear's original 'Stig': exclusive interview |last=Pattni |first=Vijay |date=2 June 2008 |publisher=Auto Trader |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730065440/http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/FEATURES/AUTOTALK/top_gears_original_stig_exclusive_interview.html |archive-date=30 July 2010 |access-date=3 September 2010 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="FlatOut">{{Cite book |last= McCarthy |first= Perry |author-link= Perry McCarthy |title= Flat Out, Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way! |publisher= [[Haynes Manuals|Haynes Publishing Group]] |year= 2002 |isbn= 1-85960-886-8|title-link= Flat Out, Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way! }}</ref><ref name=Mc>{{Citation |last= McCarthy |first= Perry |title= Flat Out, Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way! |publisher= J H Haynes & Co |date= Jul 2002 |edition= 1st |isbn= 1859608868 |df= dmy-all }}</ref> This led to an audition as a regular presenter, before the production team decided the racing driver would be anonymous.<ref name=ST/><ref name=ATO/> (Contradicting this, McCarthy said in 2008 that Clarkson had mentioned the idea of a "top secret" racing driver at their first meeting.<ref name=Aw/>)
After the [[Top Gear series 1|first series]] ended, an article in ''The Sunday Mirror'' on 12 January 2003 named McCarthy as the Stig.<ref name="FlatOut" /><ref name=Mc/><ref name=Sd>
{{Cite news
|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20030112/ai_n9712823/
|title=The Stig Unveiled
|work=Daily Mirror
|date=12 January 2005
|access-date=31 August 2010
|first=Dominic
|last=Turnbull
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703174238/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20030112/ai_n9712823/
|archive-date=3 July 2009
|url-status=dead
|df=dmy-all
}}
</ref> The newspaper quoted a show insider as saying, "Just a handful of the crew know that he is actually Perry." McCarthy responded at the time, "I do know who the Stig is but I cannot comment any further."<ref name=Sd/> After the [[Top Gear series 2|second series]] ended, McCarthy published the second edition of his autobiography, in which he confirmed that he was the Stig.{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}} McCarthy was then "killed off" in the first episode of the [[Top Gear series 3|third series]].
The scene which saw Black Stig "killed off", nicknamed "Top Gun vs Top Gear", was an attempt to race to {{convert|100|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} and then come to a halt on the {{convert|200|m|ft|adj=on}} long flight deck of [[HMS Invincible (R05)|HMS ''Invincible'']], a Royal Navy aircraft carrier on which [[British Aerospace Sea Harrier]] jump jets reach {{convert|100|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} before take-off. He would be using the "old Top Gear Jag", a white [[Jaguar XJS]] bought for a "couple of hundred [[Pound sterling|quid]]", stripped of its fittings and fitted with [[nitrous]] injection to take it to {{convert|500|bhp|abbr=on}}. The Stig accelerated along the deck, and an on-screen speedometer indicated {{convert|109|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} before a cutaway shot saw the car flying off the end of the runway ramp and into the sea. Clarkson then revealed in the last scene of the episode that a glove floating on the sea was all that divers had found.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/the-stig--hms-invincible
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011004112/http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/the-stig--hms-invincible
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=11 October 2008
|title=Bye bye, Stig
|publisher=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|work=topgear.com > Videos
|access-date=27 August 2010
}}</ref><ref name=Dl>{{Cite news
|url = https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/21/secrets-of-the-stig-perry-mccarthy-reveals-all-about-top-gear-s-mystery-driver-115875-22504239/
|title = Secrets of The Stig: Perry McCarthy reveals all about Top Gear's mystery driver
|work = Daily Mirror
|date = 21 August 2010
|access-date = 1 September 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100902051357/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/21/secrets-of-the-stig-perry-mccarthy-reveals-all-about-top-gear-s-mystery-driver-115875-22504239/
|archive-date = 2 September 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> According to McCarthy, "We tried to make it as much like a scene out of [[James Bond]] as possible."<ref name=Aw/>
The explanations for McCarthy's exit vary.<ref name=ST/> While McCarthy described the parting as amiable in 2008, ''The Times'' claimed in 2009 that he had fallen out with producers.<ref name=TIIS/><ref name=Aw/> In 2010, McCarthy said he had become tired of the job, which he claimed paid £700 a week, and that part of his annoyance stemmed from an attempt by a car owner to sue him for ruining his car and the BBC's refusal to defend him due to his anonymity. He said the BBC chose not to renew his contract and had him written out of the show.<ref name=Dl/><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/2722786/But-is-it-art.html | ___location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | title=But is it art? | first=Doug | last=Nye | date=14 June 2003 | access-date=4 April 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826114354/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/2722786/But-is-it-art.html | archive-date=26 August 2018 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref>
Although McCarthy said in 2006 that, following his exit from ''Top Gear,'' he harboured ambitions of re-entering racing in the [[Grand Prix Masters]] series, he went on to run an investment company and appear as an [[public speaking|after-dinner speaker]].<ref name=ATO/><ref name=Dl/>
According to ''The Sunday Times'', writing in 2009, McCarthy revealed in his book that there had always been more than one Stig, and that then 47-year-old [[Julian Bailey (racing driver)|Julian Bailey]], a former Formula One driver, had acted as a stand-in for McCarthy.<ref name=ST/>
===First White Stig===
{{Infobox soap character
| name = The First White Stig
| portrayer = [[Ben Collins (racing driver)|Ben Collins]], occasionally others
| series = [[Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear]]
| image = [[File:The Stig British International Motor Show.jpg|200px]]
| caption = The First White Stig in 2006
| years = 2003–2010
| first = 2 November 2003<br />([[Top Gear series 3|Series 3]]; Episode 2)
| last = 1 August 2010<br />([[Top Gear series 15|Series 15]]; Episode 6)
}}
The first White Stig was introduced in November 2003, following the Black Stig's exit in the prior episode. His identity remained secret until it was revealed as [[Ben Collins (racing driver)|Ben Collins]] in August 2010. During this Stig's time on the show, the character's role expanded from Power Lap times and "Reasonably Priced Car" training to include appearances in other show segments, such as producing timed runs in the [[Isle of Man]] road test;<ref group="ep" name="7.1"/> driving a [[Caterham Seven]] from [[Caterham]] to [[Knockhill Racing Circuit|Knockhill]];<ref group="ep" name="8.7"/> riding a [[London Bus]], the [[Docklands Light Railway|DLR]] and [[London Underground|the Tube]] across London;<ref group="ep" name="10.5">{{cite episode |series=Top Gear (2002 TV series) |series-no=10 |number=5 |series-link=Top Gear series 10 |airdate=11 November 2007}}</ref> jumping a snowmobile off a ski-jump in [[Lillehammer]], Norway;<ref group="ep" name="Winter Olympics Special"/> and playing a police pursuit driver in the [[White Van Man]] challenge.<ref group="ep" name="8.8"/><ref name=o6/>
====Speculation====
After the White Stig's debut, there was widespread speculation over his identity. Various sources claimed him to be a number of different racing drivers, including Collins, [[Damon Hill]], [[Julian Bailey (racing driver)|Julian Bailey]], [[Russ Swift]], [[Darren Turner]] and [[Tim Schrick]], as well as former ''Top Gear'' presenter [[Tiff Needell]].<ref name=S8/> Several people, including Hill and musician [[Jay Kay]], claimed to be the Stig themselves. It was also speculated that the Stig was played by multiple drivers, a theory hinted at by original Stig Perry McCarthy.<ref name=ATO/> After observing the Stig's charity drive around the [[Silverstone Circuit]] just before the July [[2008 British Grand Prix]], former Formula One World Champion [[Fernando Alonso]] remarked, "Whoever's in that car is a seriously good driver. ... I've no idea who he is, but he's definitely ex-F1."<ref name=StigF1>{{cite web
|url = http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/the-stig-vs-f1
|title = The Stig vs F1
|work = topgear.com News
|publisher = Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|date = 11 July 2008
|access-date = 31 August 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090625060424/http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/the-stig-vs-f1
|archive-date = 25 June 2009
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref><ref name=Ag>{{cite web
|url = http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/news/Drive_with_the_Stig_for_35000.html
|title = Drive with the Stig for £35,000
|last = Goodwin
|first = Andy
|publisher = Auto Trader
|date = 14 July 2008
|access-date = 31 August 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110118072443/http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/news/Drive_with_the_Stig_for_35000.html
|archive-date = 18 January 2011
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref>
In January 2009, rumours about the Stig's identity were stoked, in part by a ''[[News of the World]]'' article alleging to have discovered the Stig to be a married man in his 30s, living in a £300,000 home and driving a £15,000 car, on an income of around £150,000 from his ''Top Gear'' job and some stunt and test driving.<ref name=Tes>{{Cite news
|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4222541/Top-Gears-The-Stig-Conspiracy-theories-over-mystery-drivers-identity.html
|title = Top Gear's The Stig: Conspiracy theories over mystery driver's identity
|work = The Telegraph
|date = 12 January 2009
|access-date = 31 August 2010
|___location = London
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090210183731/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4222541/Top-Gears-The-Stig-Conspiracy-theories-over-mystery-drivers-identity.html
|archive-date = 10 February 2009
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news
|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/4217153/Top-Gears-The-Stig-revealed-as-married-man-who-drives-boring-car.html
|title = Top Gear's The Stig revealed as married man 'who drives boring car'
|work = The Telegraph
|date = 11 January 2009
|access-date = 31 August 2010
|___location = London
|first = Chris
|last = Irvine
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100706020226/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/4217153/Top-Gears-The-Stig-revealed-as-married-man-who-drives-boring-car.html
|archive-date = 6 July 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> In the same month, an art gallery owner reported that the Stig had revealed his identity to the gallery owner and his son, after contracting with them (under the guise of a BBC executive) for a series of signed and limited prints of the Stig.<ref name=Tes/><ref>{{Cite news
|url=http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Gear-s-Stig-revealed-Bristol-firm/article-589703-detail/article.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123030054/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Gear-s-Stig-revealed-Bristol-firm/article-589703-detail/article.html
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=23 January 2009
|title=Top Gear's The Stig revealed to Bristol firm
|work=Bristol Evening Post
|date=6 January 2009
|access-date=31 August 2010
}}</ref> In the latter instance, the Stig was alleged to be [[Ben Collins (racing driver)|Ben Collins]].<ref name=WR>{{Cite news
|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/5601379/Top-Gear-who-really-is-The-Stig.html
|title = Top Gear: who really is The Stig?
|work = The Telegraph
|date = 22 June 2009
|access-date = 27 August 2010
|___location = London
|first = Chris
|last = Irvine
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100902043117/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/5601379/Top-Gear-who-really-is-The-Stig.html
|archive-date = 2 September 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> It was also reported that a builder doing work at Collins's home had found the Stig's trademark suit and gloves on display there.<ref name=Tel/>
As these rumours were ongoing, the ''Top Gear'' blog published three entries on 21 January revealing the Stig to be, respectively, Damon Hill's deceased father [[Graham Hill]]; [[Royal Bank of Scotland]] chairman [[Sir Tom McKillop]]; and newly inaugurated U.S. president [[Barack Obama]].<ref name=ST/><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2009/01/21/stig-is-revealed/
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206033459/http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2009/01/21/stig-is-revealed/
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=6 February 2009
|title=Stig is revealed
|work=Top Gear news blog
|publisher=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|date=21 January 2009
|access-date=1 September 2010
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2009/01/21/stig-unmasked-again/
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206033518/http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2009/01/21/stig-unmasked-again/
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=6 February 2009
|title=Stig unmasked again
|work=Top Gear news blog
|publisher=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|date=21 January 2009
|access-date=1 September 2010
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2009/01/21/thats-mr-president-stig-to-you-sir/
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206033531/http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2009/01/21/thats-mr-president-stig-to-you-sir/
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=6 February 2009
|title=That's Mr President Stig to you, sir
|work=Top Gear news blog
|publisher=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|date=21 January 2009
|access-date=1 September 2010
}}</ref>
When [[Richard_Hammond#Vampire_dragster_crash|Richard Hammond crashed a jet-powered car]], the accident report into the crash described Ben Collins as someone "who worked closely with Top Gear as a high performance driver and consultant".<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/releases/richardhammond.pdf |title= Investigation into the accident of Richard Hammond |publisher= HSE |access-date= 26 January 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070928001836/http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/releases/richardhammond.pdf |archive-date= 28 September 2007 |url-status= live |df= dmy-all }}</ref>
====Michael Schumacher====
On 20 June 2009, Clarkson announced in his newspaper column that the Stig would show his face in ''Top Gear''{{'}}s [[Top Gear series 13|series thirteen]] premiere, airing the next day.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2009/06/20/jc-stig-to-remove-helmet/
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090622130946/http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2009/06/20/jc-stig-to-remove-helmet/
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=22 June 2009
|title=JC: Stig to remove helmet
|work=Top Gear news blog
|publisher=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|date=20 June 2009
|access-date=27 August 2010
}}</ref> According to Clarkson, the Stig was "fed up with newspapers speculating that he's a photocopier salesman from Bolton, or lives in a pebble-dashed house in Bristol".<ref name=TIIS/>
The episode showed the Stig driving a black [[Ferrari FXX]] around the test track for a record-setting time of 1:10.7 (which was later disqualified as an official lap because it was driven on [[slicks]]), before walking into the studio and sitting down.<ref name=TIIS/> As the audience shouted "Off! Off!" the Stig removed his helmet to reveal himself as seven-time world champion F1 driver [[Michael Schumacher]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/stig-revealed?
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624040248/http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/stig-revealed
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=24 June 2009
|title=Stig Revealed!
|publisher=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|work=topgear.com > Videos
|access-date=27 August 2010
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/news/AUTOTRADER/CELEBRITYCARS/the_stig_revealed_on_top_gear.html
|title = The Stig revealed on Top Gear
|publisher = Auto Trader
|first = Adrian
|last = Hearn
|date = 22 June 2009
|access-date = 27 August 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100812121103/http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/news/AUTOTRADER/CELEBRITYCARS/the_stig_revealed_on_top_gear.html
|archive-date = 12 August 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> In the subsequent interview, Schumacher exhibited some of the Stig's supposedly defining character traits, such as knowing only two facts about ducks (both "facts" being wrong).<ref name=TIIS/>
Following the revelation, the Stig alleged to be Schumacher was shown driving the [[Suzuki Liana]] but did not set a lap time; instead, video clips showed the Stig exhibiting very poor car control, striking a camera tripod, and eventually getting lost. Clarkson closed the segment by observing that possibly, Schumacher was not truly the Stig after all. While the BBC initially would not confirm whether Schumacher's revelation was a stunt, ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' reported the next day that a ''Top Gear'' spokesman confirmed Schumacher had played the Stig, due to Ferrari only allowing Schumacher to drive the FXX, but that "the identity of the driver at other times would remain 'a mystery'."<ref name=WR/>
====''The Man in the White Suit''====
{{Further|BBC v HarperCollins Publishers Ltd}}
On 19 August 2010, it was reported that a legal dispute was developing between the BBC and publishers representing the Stig, over plans by the Stig to release an autobiography revealing his identity.<ref name=Tel/><ref name=Gd/> A BBC spokesman said, "The BBC is in a legal dispute over the publication of a book relating to ''Top Gear'' as this breaches agreed contractual and confidentiality obligations relating to the show."<ref name=Tel/> The Stig was reportedly unhappy that he had been unable to profit from his ''Top Gear'' role to the same degree as the other presenters.<ref name=Tel/>
Around the same time, ''The Sunday Times'' claimed that financial documents for Ben Collins's company, Collins Autosport, provided evidence that he was the Stig. The ''Times'' stated that beginning a month after the White Stig's first appearance, the company had experienced an increase in profits ascribed to "driving services provided for the BBC, mainly in the ''Top Gear'' programme."{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} Collins did not comment on this story; the BBC said it was "no surprise" as Collins had appeared several times on the show as well as provided other services.<ref name=GTC>{{cite news
|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11058504
|title = Top Gear Stig legal wrangle goes to court
|work=BBC News|date = 23 August 2010
|access-date = 1 September 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100831090716/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11058504
|archive-date = 31 August 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref>
On 23 August 2010, the BBC and the Stig's publisher, [[HarperCollins]], appeared in court. HarperCollins confirmed that it was being sued by the BBC over the autobiography's publication, stating, "We are disappointed that the BBC has chosen to spend licence fee payers' money to suppress this book and will vigorously defend the perfectly legitimate right of this individual to tell his story."<ref name=GTC/> The BBC said, "This situation has come about as a result of an attempt by an external party to profit from unauthorised use of the ''Top Gear'' brand, one of the BBC's biggest and most watched shows in the UK and around the world. As a result, it is important that the BBC does all it can to uphold confidentiality clauses that have been agreed to in relation to the show."<ref name=GTC/>
In a 27 August 2010 entry on the ''Top Gear'' blog, executive producer [[Andy Wilman]] attacked HarperCollins for attempting to reveal the Stig's identity: "The whole point of the Stig is the mystique – the bizarre characteristics he has, the wonderment created about what he might think, feel, do or look like. ... HarperCollins have decided none of that is as important as their profits." He also clarified that half of the BBC's legal costs were being funded by BBC Worldwide, their commercial arm.<ref name=PB2>{{cite news
|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11139252
|title = Stig wrangle continues in private
|work=BBC News|date = 31 August 2010
|access-date = 1 September 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100831191752/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11139252
|archive-date = 31 August 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2010/08/27/the-stig-he-is-ours/
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827184835/http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2010/08/27/the-stig-he-is-ours/
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=27 August 2010
|title=The Stig. He's ours
|work=Top Gear news blog
|publisher=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|author=Andy Wilman
|date=27 August 2010
|access-date=1 September 2010
}}</ref>
On 29 August, the ''Daily Mirror'' claimed that photos of Collins at his England home on the same day that the Stig had appeared at a ''Top Gear'' event in Germany proved that Collins had already been fired from the Stig role. When asked about the ongoing High Court action, Collins stated, "I am not allowed to talk about it."<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/29/ben-collins-dumped-by-bbc-after-being-unmasked-as-top-gear-s-the-stig-115875-22521367/
|title = Ben Collins dumped by BBC after being unmasked as Top Gear's The Stig
|work = Daily Mirror
|date = 29 August 2010
|access-date = 1 September 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100831160619/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/29/ben-collins-dumped-by-bbc-after-being-unmasked-as-top-gear-s-the-stig-115875-22521367/
|archive-date = 31 August 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref>
On 1 September 2010, the case was decided against the BBC, as the High Court refused to grant an injunction blocking the publication of the autobiography now acknowledged to be authored by Collins. Collins was in court for part of that day's hearing, but neither he nor the BBC confirmed afterward that he was the Stig; a BBC spokesman said, "The BBC brought this action as we believe it is vital to protect the character of The Stig, which ultimately belongs to the licence-fee payer. Today's judgment does not prevent the BBC from pursuing this matter to trial and it will not be deterred from protecting such information from attack no matter when or by whom it should arise."<ref>{{Cite news
|url = https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/sep/01/the-stig-identity-high-court
|title = The Stig: high court judge unmasks mystery Top Gear driver
|work = The Guardian
|date = 1 September 2010
|access-date = 1 September 2010
|___location = London
|first = James
|last = Robinson
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140212210400/http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/sep/01/the-stig-identity-high-court
|archive-date = 12 February 2014
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news
|url = http://news.scotsman.com/news/Top-Gear39s-The-Stig-unmasked.6507162.jp
|title = Top Gear's The Stig unmasked after High Court ruling
|work = [[The Scotsman]]
|date = 1 September 2010
|access-date = 1 September 2010
|___location = Edinburgh
|first = Allan
|last = MacKie
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100902064713/http://news.scotsman.com/news/Top-Gear39s-The-Stig-unmasked.6507162.jp
|archive-date = 2 September 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref><ref name=BBCl>{{cite news
|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11151777
|title = Stig court case: BBC loses battle over Ben Collins book
|work=BBC News|date = 1 September 2010
|access-date = 1 September 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100901191445/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11151777
|archive-date = 1 September 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news
|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/top-gear/7976394/Top-Gear-The-seven-year-saga-of-The-Stig.html
|title = Top Gear: The seven-year saga of The Stig
|work = The Telegraph
|date = 3 September 2010
|access-date = 3 September 2010
|___location = London
|first = Nick
|last = Collins
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100905032856/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/top-gear/7976394/Top-Gear-The-seven-year-saga-of-The-Stig.html
|archive-date = 5 September 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> On 3 September 2010, the [[BBC News website]] published a profile of Collins that began: "Former Formula Three driver Ben Collins has won a legal fight to publish an autobiography in which he claims to be The Stig."<ref>{{cite news
|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11162227
|title = Profile: Ben Collins
|work=BBC News|date = 3 September 2010
|access-date = 3 September 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100903030353/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11162227
|archive-date = 3 September 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref>
Collins's book, ''The Man in the White Suit,'' was published on 16 September 2010.{{fact|date=April 2022}}
====Aftermath====
Immediately following the High Court's decision, ''Top Gear'' presenter James May commented, "Obviously I'm now going to have to take some legal action of my own, because I have been the Stig for the past seven years, and I don't know who this bloke is, who's mincing around in the High Court pretending it's him."<ref name=BBCl/> He expounded on the pretence in a newspaper column the next day, describing his dual life as the Stig and "Captain Slow".<ref>{{Cite news
|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/columnists/jamesmay/7977662/And-the-Stig-is....html
|title = And the Stig is...
|work = The Telegraph
|date = 2 September 2010
|access-date = 4 September 2010
|___location = London
|first = James
|last = May
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100904042635/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/columnists/jamesmay/7977662/And-the-Stig-is....html
|archive-date = 4 September 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref>
Speculation about the future of the Stig character began immediately. On 3 September 2010, May told a radio show that the Stig would be "dealt with" in a similar manner to how the Black Stig was eliminated.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} On the same day, ''The Telegraph'' reported that the BBC would not be renewing Collins's contract and that Collins would be soliciting offers to star in his own programme.<ref>{{Cite news
|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7979090/The-Stig-Ben-Collins-could-become-face-of-new-Top-Gear-style-TV-show.html
|title = The Stig: Ben Collins 'could become face of new Top Gear style TV show'
|work = The Telegraph
|date = 3 September 2010
|access-date = 4 September 2010
|___location = London
|first = Andrew
|last = Hough
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100905034617/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7979090/The-Stig-Ben-Collins-could-become-face-of-new-Top-Gear-style-TV-show.html
|archive-date = 5 September 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> (A month later, he joined the show ''[[Fifth Gear]]'' for its eighteenth series; he then became a co-presenter on the Polish programme ''[[Automaniak]]''.) Clarkson advertised for a new driver in his 4 September newspaper column, noting the successful applicant must know that "no one, under any circumstances, should ever rat on their friends".<ref name=oman>{{Cite news
|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/top-gear/7981593/The-Stig-odds-on-to-be-a-woman.html
|title = The Stig odds on to be a woman
|work = The Telegraph
|date = 4 September 2010
|access-date = 4 September 2010
|___location = London
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100906190334/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/top-gear/7981593/The-Stig-odds-on-to-be-a-woman.html
|archive-date = 6 September 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> In a 7 September interview, Clarkson said that Collins was "history as far as we are concerned. He's sacked."<ref name="Stigsack">{{Cite news|last=Conlan|first=Tara|title=Jeremy Clarkson: the Stig is 'sacked'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/sep/07/jeremy-clarkson-stig-sacked|access-date=7 September 2010|newspaper=The Guardian|date=8 July 2010|___location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910085956/http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/sep/07/jeremy-clarkson-stig-sacked|archive-date=10 September 2010|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
[[Bookmakers]]' favourites to become the new Stig included [[Anthony Davidson]], [[Damon Hill]], [[Russ Swift]], [[Heikki Kovalainen]], and an unspecified female driver.<ref name=oman/><ref>{{Cite news
|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7977201/Anthony-Davidson-is-bookies-favourite-to-become-the-new-Stig.html
|title = Anthony Davidson is bookies' favourite to become the new Stig
|work = The Telegraph
|date = 2 September 2010
|access-date = 3 September 2010
|___location = London
|first = Laura
|last = Roberts
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100903162534/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7977201/Anthony-Davidson-is-bookies-favourite-to-become-the-new-Stig.html
|archive-date = 3 September 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref>
On 1 October 2010, it was announced that Collins would join [[Channel 5 (UK)|Five]]'s ''[[Fifth Gear]]'' motoring show, where he was introduced by [[Vicki Butler-Henderson]] as someone whose name "rhymes with The Twig". Collins appeared unmasked, saying "Yes, I can speak. It's a massive pleasure to do so."<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m3WzOG44aTwC&q=%22the+twig%22+stig+fifth+gear&pg=PT158 |title=The Top Gear Story - the 100% Unofficial Story of the Most Famous Car Show... In the World |access-date=7 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612144834/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=m3WzOG44aTwC&pg=PT158&lpg=PT158&dq=%22the+twig%22+stig+fifth+gear&source=bl&ots=Qp-KweGVvA&sig=2GgBfi1ZcH-lny_3rywZqGy2rkI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiHoeO9rsHbAhXJTcAKHbMgBOMQ6AEINjAB#v=onepage&q=%22the%20twig%22%20stig%20fifth%20gear&f=false |archive-date=12 June 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all |isbn=9781857829662 |last1=Roach |first1=Martin |date=25 May 2012 |publisher=John Blake }}</ref>
On 5 November 2010, the ''Top Gear'' website released a video clip about its "Stig Farm", the end of which introduced a new Stig for the travelling stage show ''[[Top Gear Live]]''. The video also featured a Stig attempting to write a book on a computer, and correcting one of its many mistakes with [[Tippex]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/stig-farm-exclusive-2010-11-5|title=video clip 'Stig Farm' video clip|author=Top Gear (2002 TV series)|work=BBC Top Gear|access-date=6 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127082122/http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/stig-farm-exclusive-2010-11-5|archive-date=27 November 2010|url-status=live|df=dmy-all|date=5 November 2010}}</ref>
In the "USA Road Trip" special (debuting 21 December 2010), the presenters branded the Stig a traitor; May declared his true name to be [[Judas Iscariot]]. In a challenge mimicking a [[drive-by shooting]], the targets used were cardboard representations of the Stig (with Hammond taking special care to shoot the Stig in the back).
During Collins's appearance with a military amputees rally team, broadcast in July 2011, he was introduced by Hammond as "romantic novelist and ex-Stig, Ben Collins".<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Series 17, Episode 6|episode-link=Top Gear series 17#ep139|series=Top Gear (2002 TV series)|series-link=Top Gear (2002 TV series)|network=[[BBC Two]]|airdate=31 July 2011|series-no=17|number=6|minutes=53:50}}</ref> Collins returned to ''Top Gear'' in the series 18 special "50 Years of Bond Cars", where Hammond interviewed him on his work as a stunt driver in the film ''[[Skyfall]]''. Hammond again introduced him as an ex-Stig and referred several times during the interview to Collins's departure. Collins wore a T-shirt during the interview which read "I am the Stig."
===Second White Stig===
{{Infobox soap character
| name = The Second White Stig
| portrayer = [[Phil Keen]]<ref name="ThirdIdentity" />
| series = [[Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear]]
| image = The Stig - Knebworth Classic Car Show 2013 (9589893275).jpg
| caption = The Second White Stig in 2013
| years = 2010–2022 (after Top Gear hiatus)
| first = 26 December 2010<br />([[Top Gear series 16|Series 16]]; Episode 1)
| last = 18 December 2022<br />([[Top Gear series 33|Series 33]]; Episode 5)
}}
On 26 December 2010, five days after the "USA Road Trip" special, ''Top Gear'' aired a "[[Top Gear: Middle East Special|Middle East Special]]" in which the presenters re-enacted the journey of the [[Three Wise Men]] to [[Bethlehem]]. At the episode's conclusion, they discovered a manger cradling not [[Jesus]], but a baby Stig.
In the [[Top Gear series 16#ep128|series 16 premiere]] a month later, the presenters explained that Stigs grow very quickly, and the new Stig was thus already fully grown. Aside from a slightly different helmet and overalls, this Stig closely resembles the previous Stig. In his first episode, he set a speed record around the track (1:15.1) in an [[Ariel Atom V8]] – Clarkson commenting that this Stig posted times "broadly comparable to those of Sacked Stig". The same Stig was retained following the departures of Clarkson, Hammond and May in 2015 following Clarkson's suspension and dismissal from the BBC due to a fracas that occurred during filming of series 22. His identity remained secret until 2024, when Clarkson revealed it was endurance racing driver [[Phil Keen]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 September 2024 |title=Jeremy Clarkson giving a Q&A after a private screening of The Grand Tour: One For The Road |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmyEe2Iw4dk&t=1270s |website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
==Cousins and other family members==
Various episodes have featured cousins and other relatives of the Stig, often when the show is filming outside the United Kingdom or require a specific driving skill, such as the lorry-driving "Rig Stig". These individuals dress in different attires, but always wear the Stig's helmet, and continue the tradition of remaining silent.
; "Big Stig": ''[[Top Gear: US Special|US Special]]'' (2007)
: The ''US Special'' featured a portly American cousin nicknamed "Big Stig".<ref group="ep" name="9.3"/> He raced the presenters' cars around the [[Palm Beach International Raceway]] track. Clarkson stated he had a "relaxed driving style".
; "African Cousin": ''[[Top Gear: Botswana Special|Botswana Special]]'' (2007)
: The ''Botswana Special'' featured the Stig's African cousin, with dark skin, wearing just [[Puma AG|Puma]] shoes, a [[loincloth]], white racing gloves and the iconic white helmet. He raced two of the presenters' chosen cars around an improvised rally track; Clarkson's [[Lancia Beta]] refused to start. According to the special's DVD commentary, this cousin was "...an incredibly well-respected driver".
; "Rig Stig": [[Top Gear series 12#ep98|Series 12; Episode 1]] (2008)
: "Rig Stig" sports a suntanned right sleeve and glove in reference to his supposed job as a lorry driver. He appeared [[Drifting (motorsport)|powersliding]] a [[Stuart Oliver (racing driver)|Team Oliver]] [[Truck racing|racing truck]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.teamoliver.co.uk/topgear.asp?v=Qxek3oizCxo&feature=related |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029192504/http://www.teamoliver.co.uk/topgear.asp?v=Qxek3oizCxo&feature=related |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 October 2010 |title=Team Oliver Racing }}</ref> to show to the presenters that a lorry could drift.
; "Communist Cousin": ''[[Top Gear: Vietnam Special|Vietnam Special]]'' (2008)
: A version of the Stig that rode a motorbike and wore a red racing suit. Although featured in a montage compiled at the beginning of Series 12 showing a preview of the episodes to come, his feature did not air in the original broadcast of the special. The footage was however included in a later DVD release. ''Top Gear'' hired a local motorcycle stunt rider.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/jeremy_clarkson/article7148883.ece |title=Simple surgery to solve the deficit – cut off Scotland |work=[[The Sunday Times]] |last=Clarkson |first=Jeremy |date=13 June 2010 |access-date=27 August 2010 |___location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615172629/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/jeremy_clarkson/article7148883.ece |archive-date=15 June 2010 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
; "Janet Stig-Porter/Eco Stig": [[Top Gear series 14#ep114|Series 14; Episode 2]] (2009)
: The Stig's vegetarian cousin, nicknamed "[[Janet Street-Porter|Janet Stig-Porter]]", appeared. He wore green overalls, [[Birkenstock]] sandals with socks, and a solar-powered helmet. He drove the presenters' "Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust" [[Hybrid car|hybrid]] around the [[Motor Industry Research Association|MIRA]] test circuit to see how long it would last, but was incapacitated by the car's diesel fumes. Ben Collins later revealed that he played Eco Stig.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVX-1upulQI |title=BEN COLLINS THE STIG REVEALS TOP GEAR POLICE SECRETS! |work=Autoalex V2 |date=24 January 2024 |access-date=28 January 2024}}</ref>
; "Herr Stig/Stiggy Ray Cyrus": [[Top Gear series 15#ep121|Series 15; Episode 2]] (2010)
: The Stig's German cousin was also nicknamed "[[:wikt:Herr|Herr]] Stig" and "[[Billy Ray Cyrus|Stiggy Ray Cyrus]]". He was almost identical to the main Stig, the main difference being a [[Mullet (haircut)|mullet]] haircut. He drove the presenters' cheap sports saloons around [[EuroSpeedway Lausitz]]. This Stig was also portrayed by Ben Collins.
; "Bunga-Bunga Stig": [[Top Gear series 18#ep141|Series 18; Episode 1]] (2012)
: The Stig's Italian cousin, "[[Bunga bunga|Bunga-Bunga Stig]]", was introduced during the final leg of the Italian Road Trip at [[Imola Circuit]]. He came out of a motor-home dressed in a suit, followed by three glamorous women, to set a lap time in a [[Ferrari 458 Italia]].
; "Attack Stig": [[Top Gear series 18#ep142|Series 18; Episode 2]] (2012)
: The Stig's Chinese cousin, "Attack Stig", made his dramatic arrival by kung fu–kicking through a door at a local race track. While in appearance he looks the same as the normal Stig, this Stig indiscriminately used [[Bruce Lee]]–esque martial arts moves on anyone. His unruly behaviour caused problems not just for the presenters but also for the filming crew, flag-bearer and a nearby track marshal, who this Stig even interrupted his timed lap of the [[Roewe 350]] in order to fight. After the timed laps, he walked on-screen and kicked James "in the [[Testicle|plums]]". Clarkson's remark on Attack Stig was: "That's the worst Stig we've ever had."
; First "Teenage Cousin": [[Top Gear series 21#ep161|Series 21; Episode 1]] (2014)
: The Stig's teenage cousin has headphones, a [[Sagging (fashion)|low waist line]] allowing his underwear to be seen and a phone he seldom stopped looking at. He drove a [[SEAT León]] hatchback to set a hill run time against the presenters's classic hot hatchbacks. He also appears in advertisements promoting the mobile game ''Top Gear: Race the Stig''.
; "Australian Cousin": [[Top Gear series 22#ep171|Series 22; Episode 2]] (2015)
: The Stig's Australian cousin was introduced during a hill-climb track in the Australian outback, placed in an [[Open-pit mining|open-cut]] [[iron ore]] mine and setting a benchmark time in an [[Holden Special Vehicles#Maloo|HSV Maloo Ute]]. He looks similar to the ordinary Stig, except for dusty, white overalls with [[flip-flops]], a large "gentleman sausage" and muscular upper body.
; "Leisure Stig": [[Top Gear series 22#ep177|Series 22; Episode 8]] (2015)
: The Stig's leisure activity cousin is also known as Top Gear's top-secret Leisure Stig. He is only used for testing caravans and is an otherwise useless driver. He appears identical to the ordinary Stig, but is notably slower.
; "Teenaged Cousins": [[Top Gear series 24#ep189|Series 24; Episode 4]] (2017); [[Top Gear series 25#ep196|Series 25; Episode 4]] (2018) [[Top Gear series 29#ep217|Series 29; Episode 2]] (2020)
: The Stig's three Teenaged Cousins sported the same appearance as the previous Teenage Cousin, each sporting smartphones and headphones of different colours. They drove the [[Renault Twingo]] GT, the [[Smart Fortwo]] Brabus, and the [[Volkswagen Up]] on the Top Gear track, in a race against each other. Two Teenaged Stigs appear again in Series 25, this time racing the [[Hyundai i30]] N against the [[Volkswagen Golf Mk7#Golf GTI|Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk7]] on a wet Top Gear track.
; "Emirati Cousin": [[Top Gear series 24#ep189|Series 24; Episode 4]] (2017)
: The Stig's Emirati cousin drove host Matt LeBlanc through downtown [[Dubai]] in a [[Bentley Mulsanne (2010)|Bentley Mulsanne]]. He looks similar to the ordinary Stig, except for wearing a [[ghutrah]] on top of his helmet, and a diamond watch on his wrist.<ref name="s24e04-emerati-cousin">{{cite episode |work=Top Gear |series=24|number=4|title=Episode 4|first=Matthew|last=LeBlanc|author-link=Matt LeBlanc|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08l56x6/top-gear-series-24-episode-4|date=26 March 2017|time=45:32‒45:34|quote=the Stig's Emerati Cousin|access-date=13 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118210903/https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08l56x6/top-gear-series-24-episode-4|archive-date=18 November 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
; "StigFoot": [[Top Gear series 25#ep194|Series 25; Episode 2]] (2018)
: StigFoot appears briefly at the end of the episode having been pursued by LeBlanc and Harris as they search for [[Bigfoot]].
; "Ninja Stig": [[Top Gear series 25#ep195|Series 25; Episode 3]] (2018)
: The Stig's Japanese ninja cousin appears during Harris's visit to Japan, where he raced Harris in a drifting duel. He wore a black helmet, black ninja outfit and a katana strapped to his back.
; "Business Stig": [[Top Gear series 26#ep200|Series 26; Episode 2]] (2019)
: The Stig's business cousin appears during Harris's review of the [[BMW M5]] and Mercedes-AMG E63 S. He wears a red tie and a set of braces.
; "Stig's dad": [[Top Gear series 30#ep221|Series 30; Episode 1]] (2021)
: The Stig's dad appears during a rally challenge in the episode's main feature which deals with the main presenters commemorating their dads' cars, setting the benchmark time the presenters then try to beat. He wears a tank top and flare trousers.
=== Other Stigs ===
The [[Top Gear Australia|Australian]], [[Top Gear France|French]],<ref>{{cite web|language=fr|url=http://www.parismatch.com/Culture/Medias/Top-Gear-veut-secouer-les-emissions-auto-727468|title="Top Gear" veut secouer les émissions auto|work=[[Paris Match]]|date=18 March 2015|access-date=19 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321032457/http://www.parismatch.com/Culture/Medias/Top-Gear-veut-secouer-les-emissions-auto-727468|archive-date=21 March 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> [[Top Gear Korea|Korean]], [[Top Gear Russia|Russian]], [[Top Gear (Dragon TV series)|Chinese]] and [[Top Gear (American TV series)|U.S.]] adaptions of ''Top Gear'' also feature their own versions of The Stig.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2008/05_may/top_gear_australia.shtml |title=Australian Top Gear presenters revealed |work=Press Office |publisher=BBC |date=28 May 2008 |access-date=27 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112045456/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2008/05_may/top_gear_australia.shtml |archive-date=12 November 2012 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news
|url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/arts_n_ideas/article/in-the-spotlight/374874.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419142019/http://www.themoscowtimes.com/arts_n_ideas/article/in-the-spotlight/374874.html
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=19 April 2010
|title=In the Spotlight
|work=The Moscow Times
|date=27 February 2009
|access-date=8 March 2009
}}</ref> The ''Top Gear Australia'' Stig was wheeled on screen, upside down in a delivery crate for the UK-Australian "Top Gear Ashes" episode. Additionally, when ''Top Gear Australia'' visited New Zealand (in [[Top Gear Australia series 3|series 3]] episode 2), they introduced their Stig's Kiwi cousin, "The Stug" (referencing [[New Zealand English]]'s [[central vowel|centralised]] short-"i" sound). When ''Top Gear U.S.'' drove a modified off-road racer through Colorado against a kayak, they introduced "Backwoods Stig", who wears a white racing overall with torn off sleeves. The Stig was rarely used in the US version as presenter [[Tanner Foust]] is himself a professional racing driver, but was portrayed by Paul F. Gerrard.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tflcar.com/2017/07/breaking-news-meet-top-gear-usa-stig-first-time-video/|title=Breaking News: Meet the Top Gear USA Stig for the First Time!|date=24 July 2017}}</ref> The Korean version of the Stig is reportedly portrayed by Bil Li-ship.
In the DVD ''Top Gear: The Worst Car in the History of the World,'' the Stig's [[Yorkshire]] cousin, nicknamed "T'Stig" (a reference to the [[Yorkshire dialect#Vocabulary and grammar|Yorkshire accent]]), was featured. Alongside his trademark racing outfit, he had a flat cap on his helmet and two [[whippet]]s by his feet. He was involved in driving a BMW around a [[Gymkhana (motorsport)|Gymkhana]] course to show how it is done for when James and Jeremy attempt to do so with two of the worst American cars. He was also prompted to drive a [[Peugeot 308]] – one of the cars that was the candidate for the title, but he fled.
==Temporary Stigs==
In the [[Top Gear Winter Olympics|''Winter Olympics'' special]] ''Top Gear'' used Dan Lang, a Swedish snowmobile champion, to jump a snowmobile.<ref name=ST/>
In the "USA Road Trip" (aired 21 December 2010), [[Tiff Needell]] was brought in as an "Emergency Stig" to train [[Danny Boyle]] on the track.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/tv/2010/12/17/top-gear-s-new-stig-is-tiff-needell-115875-22788744/|title=Top Gear's new Stig is... Tiff Needell|author=Alun Palmer|work=mirror|access-date=4 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125035139/http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/tv/2010/12/17/top-gear-s-new-stig-is-tiff-needell-115875-22788744/|archive-date=25 January 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all|date=17 December 2010}}</ref>
==Other appearances==
In June 2008, the Stig drove a passenger in a two-seat Formula One car at speeds up to {{convert|178|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} for three laps around the [[Silverstone Circuit]] in wet conditions, hours before the start of the [[2008 British Grand Prix]]. The drive was the prize in a charity auction held in aid of [[Great Ormond Street Hospital|Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital]] where the winning bidder paid £35,000 for the privilege.<ref name=StigF1/><ref name=Ag/> The Stig appeared at the 2008 October [[National Television Awards]] to accept ''Top Gear's'' third award for best factual programme, as the other presenters were ostensibly busy filming the new series.<ref name=TGB/><ref>{{cite news
|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7698011.stm
|title = Cowell wins recognition TV award
|work=BBC News|date = 29 October 2008
|access-date = 27 August 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090331133014/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7698011.stm
|archive-date = 31 March 2009
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> The Stig also appears at ''Top Gear Live'' events, such as the August 2010 Stunt Show at the [[Nürburgring]] in Germany, in which he is billed as the star of the show alongside the other stunt drivers and cars, with the other ''Top Gear'' presenters not playing a part.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://live.topgear.com/world_tour/worldtour2009/nuerburgring-home
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100429034818/http://live.topgear.com/world_tour/worldtour2009/nuerburgring-home
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=29 April 2010
|title=Live Motoring Stunt Show
|work=Nürburgring Home
|publisher=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|access-date=1 September 2010
}}</ref> The Stig has appeared outside ''Top Gear'' in Clarkson's motoring DVDs since 2005. He also appeared before the BBC's [[2011 British Grand Prix]] coverage when Clarkson and Hammond gave the camera crew a tour of the ''Top Gear'' studio.
In February 2009, a [[YouTube]] video emerged<ref>{{Cite web|date=5 February 2009|title=Black Stig Returns from the Dead|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lkh0uWFg9c |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/8Lkh0uWFg9c| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|access-date=11 August 2020|website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> which suggested the Black Stig had survived his accident. Still wearing his iconic black overalls, helmet and only one glove, he is witnessed to emerge from the waves by a group of men playing frisbee on the beach at [[Walton-on-the-Naze]] in Essex, where he initially mistook their frisbee for a steering wheel, before running away.
In the 2011 [[X Games]] 17, the Stig can be seen walking in the background during one of [[Brian Deegan (rider)|Brian Deegan]]'s interviews during Rallycross. [[Tanner Foust]], one of the presenters of ''[[Top Gear (American TV series)|Top Gear U.S.]]'', was competing in the event.
Google Street view of the Dunsfold track shows the Google Camera car being paced by The Stig driving a [[Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG|Mercedes SLS coupe]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.117964,-0.539973,3a,75y,192.86h,52.98t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1s_2x-buSI2sP3hzjmZOLLWA!2e0!3e5?hl=en|title=Google Maps}}</ref>
In 2016, he was a part of ''[[The Getaway Car]]'' presented by [[Dermot O'Leary]] along with his two "nephews" simply called "Red Stig" and "Blue Stig".
On 8 December 2016, the Stig appears for a short moment in a segment from [[Top Gear series 23|series 23]], where he is seen reading a paper while [[Ken Block]] zooms past in his Hoonicorn Mustang along with [[Matt LeBlanc]].
On 30 March 2017, the Stig appeared on [[Colin Furze]]'s ''World's Fastest Bumper Car'' YouTube video, which featured a modified 1960s [[Bumper cars|bumper car]] and a 600cc 100bhp engine.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.topgear.com/car-news/stig/100mph-dodgem-stig-has-set-new-world-record|title=100mph in a dodgem: The Stig has set a new world record!|access-date=27 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828001822/https://www.topgear.com/car-news/stig/100mph-dodgem-stig-has-set-new-world-record|archive-date=28 August 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all|date=30 March 2017}}</ref>
For a period, the Stig, along with the ''Top Gear'' presenters, appeared in miniature at Legoland Windsor, arranged around a model of a Caterham sports car.
==Cultural impact and merchandising==
''[[The Scotsman]]'' described the Stig in 2008 as a "real-life [[James Bond (character)|James Bond]] able to tame the most powerful cars, while possessing all the mystique of [[Zorro]]".<ref name=S8/> ''The Sunday Times'' in 2009 described the Stig as "not a man but an idea, possibly an extraterrestrial", speculating that, along the lines of the [[Spartacus|Spartacus mythology]], the more people that were linked with the character, the stronger the mystery would become. It paid tribute to how long the show had actually kept the secret.<ref name=ST/>
The question of "Who is the Stig?" has been described as one of the most-asked queries on the Internet.<ref name=ST/><ref name=WR/><ref name=BCs>{{Cite news
|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/article5548705.ece
|title=Identity of Top Gear's The Stig revealed as Ben Collins
|work=The Times
|date=20 January 2009
|access-date=27 August 2010
|___location=London
|first=Patrick
|last=Foster
}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> ''The Sunday Times'' reported that online and [[mobile search|text-answering services]] rated it as one of the most popular questions of all time, along with the [[meaning of life]].<ref name=ST/>
The Stig has been notionally "spotted" in the wild in images collected for [[Google Street View]]. He was photographed by a Street View car standing on the side of the [[A82 road]] in [[Loch Ness]], Scotland.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} He was also captured by a Street View tricycle in three locations within [[Legoland Windsor]] in Berkshire, including riding a [[go-kart]] and sitting on a camel.<ref name=Leg>{{Cite news
|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7605320/Top-Gears-Stig-spotted-on-Google-Street-View.html
|title = Top Gear's Stig spotted on Google Street View
|work = The Telegraph
|date = 19 April 2010
|access-date = 27 August 2010
|___location = London
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100422015430/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7605320/Top-Gears-Stig-spotted-on-Google-Street-View.html
|archive-date = 22 April 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> A Street View image taken from the [[Westway (London)|A40 Westway]] of the Stig apparently standing in a window of the ''Top Gear'' office was reportedly just a cardboard cut-out.<ref name=Leg/><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://cupholder.blogs.topgear.com/2009/03/20/stig-puts-us-on-the-map/
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707123403/http://cupholder.blogs.topgear.com/2009/03/20/stig-puts-us-on-the-map/
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=7 July 2012
|title=Stig puts us on the map
|work=Top Gear cupholder blog
|publisher=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|first=Regan
|last=Paul
|date=20 March 2009
|access-date=27 August 2010
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news
|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/5017329/Google-Street-View-funny-images.html?image=12
|title = Google Street View funny images, Image 13 of 21
|work = The Telegraph
|access-date = 27 August 2010
|___location = London
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100209003803/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/5017329/Google-Street-View-funny-images.html?image=12
|archive-date = 9 February 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news
|url=http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5946084.ece
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815054402/http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5946084.ece
|archive-date=15 August 2011
|title=Bizarre sights in Google Street View UK
|work=The Times
|date=20 March 2009
|access-date=27 August 2010
|___location=London
|first=Nigel
|last=Kendall
}}</ref>
The BBC has capitalised on the mystery behind the Stig by marketing "I AM THE STIG" T-shirts and variants through the ''Top Gear'' shop.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/I-am-not-the-stig
|title = I am not the Stig
|work = Top Gear
|publisher = Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|date = 1 November 2008
|access-date = 1 September 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110106035526/http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/I-am-not-the-stig
|archive-date = 6 January 2011
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> Other Stig merchandise has included bubble wash, pens, keyrings, soap on a rope, lunchbags and a "sonic toothbrush".<ref>{{cite news
|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7958512/Stig-mystery-financial-documents-suggest-identity-of-Top-Gear-driver.html
|title = Stig mystery: financial documents suggest identity of Top Gear driver
|work = The Telegraph
|date = 22 August 2010
|access-date = 1 September 2010
|___location = London
|first = Andy
|last = Bloxham
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100901230654/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7958512/Stig-mystery-financial-documents-suggest-identity-of-Top-Gear-driver.html
|archive-date = 1 September 2010
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref>
Through a partnership with [[Polyphony Digital]], the Stig's helmet and overalls are available for virtual purchase in the videogames ''[[Gran Turismo 5]]'' and ''[[Gran Turismo 6]]''. The Stig has also appeared several times in the ''[[Forza Motorsport (2005 video game)|Forza Motorsport]]'' series, including as avatar items in ''[[Forza Motorsport 4]]'', one-on-one racing challenges against "The Stig's Digital Cousin" in ''[[Forza Motorsport 5]]''<ref>{{Cite news
|url = http://news.xbox.com/2014/03/games-forza-5-top-gear-car-pack
|title = Race The Stig's Digital Cousin
|work = Xbox.com
|date = 1 November 2008
|access-date = 9 July 2014
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140714224545/http://news.xbox.com/2014/03/games-forza-5-top-gear-car-pack
|archive-date = 14 July 2014
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> and ''[[Forza Motorsport 6]]'',<ref>{{Cite news
|url = https://www.ign.com/wikis/forza-6/Top_Gear_Stig
|title = Top Gear Stig
|work = IGN
|date = 5 October 2015
|access-date = 8 October 2018
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181008135037/https://www.ign.com/wikis/forza-6/Top_Gear_Stig
|archive-date = 8 October 2018
|url-status = live
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> and as a driver outfit in an add-on for ''[[Forza Motorsport 7]]''<ref>{{Cite news
|url=https://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/forza-motorsport-7-gets-new-top-gear-car-pack/
|title=Forza Motorsport 7 Gets New Top Gear Car Pack
|work=TopSpeed.com
|date=3 July 2018
|access-date=8 October 2018
}}</ref> and as a reward in ''[[Forza Horizon 4]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Forza Horizon 4 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/forza-horizon-4-free-top-gear-update-available-now/1100-6468237/ |access-date=8 July 2019 |date=8 July 2019}}</ref>
In 2018, Piccadilly Press (under licence from BBC Worldwide) published ''The Stig Plays a Dangerous Game'', the first in a series of children's books featuring The Stig as the silent 'secret weapon' of a group of friends who become 'the Top Gear Gang'. ''The Stig Drives Again'' was published later the same year and the third in the trilogy, ''The Stig and the Silver Ghost'', came out in October 2019. The books feature in a joint venture with the School Libraries Association to promote school literacy whereby initial copies of each book, plus support materials, are provided free of charge to requesting schools.
== Episode notes ==
{{Reflist|group="ep" |refs=
<!-- no longer used
<ref group="ep" name="19.4">{{cite episode
|series=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|series-no=19
|number=4
|series-link=Top Gear series 19
|airdate=17 February 2013
}}</ref>
-->
<ref group="ep" name="8.8">{{cite episode
|series=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|series-no=8
|number=8
|series-link=Top Gear series 8
|airdate=30 July 2006
}}</ref>
<ref group="ep" name="14.4">{{cite episode
|series=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|series-no=14
|number=4
|series-link=Top Gear series 14
|airdate=6 December 2009
}}</ref>
<!-- <ref group="ep" name="15.3">{{cite episode
|series=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|series-no=15
|number=3
|series-link=Top Gear series 15
|airdate=11 July 2010
}}</ref> -->
<ref group="ep" name="2.1">{{cite episode
|series=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|series-no=2
|number=1
|series-link=Top Gear series 2
|airdate=11 May 2003
}}</ref>
<ref group="ep" name="9.3">{{cite episode
|title=[[Top Gear: US Special]]
|series=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|series-no=9
|number=3
|series-link=Top Gear series 9
|airdate=11 February 2007
}}</ref>
<ref group="ep" name="Winter Olympics Special">{{cite episode
|title=[[Top Gear Winter Olympics|Top Gear: Winter Olympics Special]]
|series=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|series-no=7–8
|number=n/a
|series-link=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
}}</ref>
<ref group="ep" name="6.10">{{cite episode
|series=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|series-no=6
|number=10
|series-link=Top Gear series 6
|airdate=31 July 2005
}}</ref>
<ref group="ep" name="8.5">{{cite episode
|series=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|series-no=8
|number=5
|series-link=Top Gear series 8
|airdate=4 June 2006
}}</ref>
<ref group="ep" name="1.1">{{cite episode
|series=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|series-no=1
|number=1
|series-link=Top Gear series 1
|airdate=20 October 2002
}}</ref>
<ref group="ep" name="7.1">{{cite episode
|series=Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|series-no=7
|number=1
|series-link=Top Gear series 7
|airdate=13 November 2005
}}</ref>
<ref group = "ep" name="7.5">{{cite episode
|series = Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|series-no = 7
|number = 5
|series-link = Top Gear series 7
|airdate = 11 December 2005
}}</ref>
<ref group = "ep" name="8.7">{{cite episode
|series = Top Gear (2002 TV series)
|series-no = 8
|number = 7
|series-link = Top Gear series 8
|airdate = 23 July 2006
}}</ref>
}}
== References ==
{{Reflist|35em}}
== External links ==
*{{Official website}}
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{Wikiquote-inline|Top Gear#The Stig|The Stig}}
{{Top Gear}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stig, The}}
[[Category:Top Gear (2002 TV series)]]
[[Category:Unidentified people]]
[[Category:Television characters introduced in 2002]]
[[Category:Anonymity pseudonyms]]
[[Category:Fictional racing drivers]]
[[Category:Television personalities from Bristol]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[de:Top Gear#The Stig]]
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