I can’t see how they can keep the guy after this.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11151777

What next… Red Stig?

Didn't everyone know that anyway?

Ben Collins has been 'outed' for ages though, certainly on any sort of motorsport based forum. Hardly a big shock – perhaps Clarkson and co could just grow up and say 'Hand over to our tame racing driver, Ben'… so that'll be Red Stig then.

Hardly a secret though was it, really? The BBC used a bunch of drivers for the 'Stig' bits. The whole point was to keep the Stig as an enigma, as paying the drivers extra appearance money would have cost loads, and had he potential issue of a driver's ego getting too much for the other presenters. Plus, racing drivers can get injured or killed, and their race calendar may have clashed with the shooting schedule, necessitating a pool of drivers they could use. The Stig thing conveniently covered this up.

Watch a bunch of episodes from different series. Notice how 'the Stig' is different heights compared to Clarkson….

So it wasn't Michael Schumacher after all?

I'm gutted….

They'll keep going and just deny it happened.

Why does it matter anyway.
Surely they just stop using this Collins bloke and use someone else instead?

..except he'll be sacked and they'll get someone else, just like last time.
Wonder if the book sales income will be more than TG income

. damn, too slow. My keyboard warrior force is weak.

Hopefully they'll get rid of that bloody stupid unfunny introduction Clarkson does before the Stig's bit!

Top Gear's shit

Does it really matter? It was just a random racing driver who bombed round the figure of eight track in fast cars. You'd be pretty naive to think it's always been the same person.

I'm the Stig!

"The Top Gear audience has always made it clear that they enjoy the mystery surrounding the identity of The Stig"

I bet they can't prove that.

Thank God it wasnt Tony Blair, people would have willingly paid to superglue his visor down.

This episode way back kinda gave it away

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y-ba2BXCfo

I quite fancy a bowl of co-co pops, I've not had them for ages.

Just disappointed that the stig has turned out to be a disloyal self serving p***k.

I reckon silver stig or blue stig is up next.

Suspect this one will get shot out of a cannon or something first though.

This episode way back kinda gave it away

What about the other eipsodes featuring various other racing drivers.

It's always been clear there's more than one driver they've used.

Top Gear's shit

it's not that good
I still watch it every week just to make sure it's shit though
.
I have it under good authority that the Stig is often a company's own test driver
meh

Just disappointed that the stig has turned out to be a disloyal self serving p***k.

Come off it. What has he actually taken away from BBC Worldwide, Clarkson and Wilman? They'll get a different coloured set of overalls and a new Stig, if it really bothers them.

The 3 presenters have made a very healthy living from the fame they've had from Top Gear – May in particular has always been an amusing writer, but he was relatively unheard of when he just had a column in Top Gear mag. Why shouldn't the Stig get his £££s?

I still think The Stig is Jay kay actually.

Ben Collins is just one of those fat blokes who wears an "I'm the Stig" Tee shirt.

I'm sure the stig has been paid plenty of £££s, all that was asked of him in return was to drive fast cars and keep his gob shut……he even signed a NDA FFS.
He liked the sound of it to start with but then greed took hold.

I can't imagine what the fall out will be when the newspapers print that Santa isn't real either.

WHAT!?! 😯

I still watch it every week just to make sure it's shit though

Ha, I know the feeling.

Shit ain't the word.

Just disappointed that the stig has turned out to be a disloyal self serving p***k.

Do you seriously care that much?

Jeeze…

I actually had a hand in "killing" black stig (well my mate rob the survival equipment guy in his outfit), when he was fired off HMS INVINCIBLE. We also got to go to the studio as a thank you. Clarkson is a bigger racist tit in person. Still enjoy the show though!

I actually had a hand in "killing" black stig (well my mate rob the survival equipment guy in his outfit)

So you're telling me that wasn't the real black stig they fired off Invincible? 😯 Will the revelations never end?

So, you have a hand in killing black stig and then call Clarkson a racist! 😯

Anyway, I was the Stig, and so was my wife

Ben Collins has been 'outed' for ages though

Agree. Thing is, they've all made massive fat pots of cash off the show. I doubt the Producer is short of money either – he also said 'the Stig is the property of the Licence fee holder' (in a disgusting attempt to stop people buying his book- idiot).

Why shouldn't he also cash in on the show? I for one will be flicking through the book to see if its worth buying.

Used to know him from my prevoius life working in motorsport and yes he is a c*ck!
He doesn't need the cash either as he is a proper silver spooner!
In my opinion his ego was always bigger than his driving ability!
Was never good enough to make it to the top of the sport and had a habit of rubbin folk up the wrong way,

wee-al – Member

I actually had a hand in "killing" black stig (well my mate rob the survival equipment guy in his outfit), when he was fired off HMS INVINCIBLE. We also got to go to the studio as a thank you. Clarkson is a bigger racist **** in person. Still enjoy the show though!

Is he racist?

I'm sure the TG crew are happy to stir the pot on this one, more mis-information about the Stig will always be good. Its more promotion for Top Gear – more people will watch next series to find out what happens etc.

Series?

It's so short now I can barely be called that. I just think they are running out of ideas. It needs a refresh / rethink.

I get the impression that James May and Richard Hammond would prefer to do something else now. But I guess as long as Clarkson holds a stake in Top Gear it will run forever.

It's so short now I can barely be called that.

I seem to remember that the TG producers view it as a series broken into two parts – some broadcast during the Summer, and then some more during the Autumn.

I have it under good authority that the Stig is often a company's own test driver

i think this is the point of "the stig". An invented character to enable them to put pretty much any car round the test track (even F1 cars, or the 1.2 million pound bugatti) without having an different guy in the driving seat each week, which would make it very obvious the lap board isn't really accurate.

I think its a pretty good idea, the fact that ben Collions is no longer one of the people who'll be doing this really doesn't matter.

Bakes speaks the truth, when I hosted Top Gear mag the Stig arrived in the form of an outfit and I stuck my test driver into it for the photo shoot.

Much a fuss about nothing really 🙄

James May sounded pretty hacked off with the whole Stig thing last night on Radio 2. He's just released a new book and was obviously booked in to various programmes to plug it just as the whole Stig thing blows up.