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After years of speculation about the identity of one of the most iconic members of the BBC’s “Top Gear,” has finally been revealed.
The myths surrounding the name of the Stig has been one of the shows closes guarded secrets for years, and has prompted thousands of fans to speculate to his identity on various forums, it has even spawned it’s own merchandise with the message “I am the Stig” displayed on t-shirts and coffee mugs.
In January 2009 the identity of the Stig was revealed after a reporter for the Bristol newspaper did a follow up story about a man who commissioned a photographic studio in Bristol to produce limited edition prints of the Stig. That man’s name turned out to be, 35 year old Ben Collins.
The BBC never commented on this, and Ben Colins had long denied he was the Stig for fear that he would be sacked, which is what happened to his predecessor, who was in a Jag and shot off the end of an aircraft carrier into the sea. The story and this identity soon faded from the public’s mind and became just another joke about the Stig’s identity created by the BBC.
Top Gear has always make jokes about the true identity of the Stig, in last year’s season they revealed the Stig to be the Formula One driver, Michael Schumacher, but finally his name has been revealed.
All this came out when Colin’s stated that he wished to release an autobiography, The BBC responded by filing an injunction order blocking the publication because it would reveal the identity of his character. Today the court dismissed the BBC injunction.
HarperCollins the publisher of Ben Colin’s autobiography called the court’s decision a “victory for freedom of speech,” HarperCollins when on to say the book will be published in Britain on September 16 2010.
Top Gear’s James May joked that he was the Stig following the news that the BBC has lost a legal fight to stop publication of a book which reveals the identity of the Top Gear driver.
James May told BBC Radio 5 live’s Richard Bacon that he had been the Stig from 2005 up until a few weeks ago.
The myths surrounding the name of the Stig has been one of the shows closes guarded secrets for years, and has prompted thousands of fans to speculate to his identity on various forums, it has even spawned it’s own merchandise with the message “I am the Stig” displayed on t-shirts and coffee mugs.
In January 2009 the identity of the Stig was revealed after a reporter for the Bristol newspaper did a follow up story about a man who commissioned a photographic studio in Bristol to produce limited edition prints of the Stig. That man’s name turned out to be, 35 year old Ben Collins.
The BBC never commented on this, and Ben Colins had long denied he was the Stig for fear that he would be sacked, which is what happened to his predecessor, who was in a Jag and shot off the end of an aircraft carrier into the sea. The story and this identity soon faded from the public’s mind and became just another joke about the Stig’s identity created by the BBC.
Top Gear has always make jokes about the true identity of the Stig, in last year’s season they revealed the Stig to be the Formula One driver, Michael Schumacher, but finally his name has been revealed.
All this came out when Colin’s stated that he wished to release an autobiography, The BBC responded by filing an injunction order blocking the publication because it would reveal the identity of his character. Today the court dismissed the BBC injunction.
HarperCollins the publisher of Ben Colin’s autobiography called the court’s decision a “victory for freedom of speech,” HarperCollins when on to say the book will be published in Britain on September 16 2010.
Top Gear’s James May joked that he was the Stig following the news that the BBC has lost a legal fight to stop publication of a book which reveals the identity of the Top Gear driver.
James May told BBC Radio 5 live’s Richard Bacon that he had been the Stig from 2005 up until a few weeks ago.
