The Stig

[henk4]

Finally what we all though, is official, Ben Collins is the Stig...he will soon publish his autobiography, where he speaks about his seven years as the Stig. In an act of despair the BBC has tried to prevent publication of the book....

[andycoates]

I saw that recently and nearly spat my drink...prevent him publishing?! Many people have had a 'strong suspicion' for a while now! Are they going to find a way to kill him off now as they did with Perry McCarthy? :eek:

Place bets now for the next colour uniform! :)

[f6fhellcat13]

I have always thought the fun was in not knowing. I really don't get the British tabloids' insatiable need to find out who the Stig is.
Do most Brits enjoy getting the fun sucked and slandered out of everything?

[wwgkd]

5 yuan on red.

Also, they've tried so hard to keep it secretish, I'd be annoyed too.

Edit: Well hellcat, they are brittish... ;)

[Dino Scuderia]

I have never cared who the Stig was or that there was a Stig or even Top Gear.

[Matra et Alpine]

It is WRITTEN IN to the "Stig" contract to maintain the secrecy.
Collins by publishing breaks the contract, which he had signed, so I don't get the Beeb bashing I see in some places.
Personally I think he's REALLY pissed off at how much money the Stig image is bringing in and he does not get one penny of royalties on it all.
Also, there can only be a finite amount of time you coudl stand having to work with JC on a regular basis - no matter HOW much money was on the table.

EDIT: British tabloids are TRASH publications with poorly educated writers who have to get headlines whichever way they can - because it will NEVER be for the quality of research or writing !! Who the Stig is is a very easy article to print.

[Dino Scuderia]

Also, there can only be a finite amount of time you coudl stand having to work with JC on a regular basis - no matter HOW much money was on the table.

Agreed. He is why I have not cared about Top Gear.

[Matra et Alpine]

pah, you just dont understand irony.
He's funny and entertaining BECAUSE he's a bigotted, non technical arse :)

[Ferrer]

And there's James May which is worth all the fuss.

[Matra et Alpine]

r u gay ??????

[NicFromLA]

I always suspected there was a bunch of different drivers who rotated as The Stig. I guess I was wrong.

[pimento]

The point of The Stig is that they can use other people if they have to (availability, specialist drivers for the cars, etc) but their main guy is (probably) Collins. I can see why the BBC wants to keep him under wraps and understand Andy Wilman's position (http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2010/08/27/the-stig-he-is-ours/) (producer, created the new format with Clarkson) but surely there'd be a better way to do this.. now the book will be written by an 'ex-stig' anyway, which is always going to be a bit sour. Not sure.. it's clearly a breach of contract, but surely there's a better way for Collins to get some cashola..

[IBrake4Rainbows]

The solution is simple; Ben Collins, in his attempt to create more hype and money surrounding his character, has written himself entirely out of the production. Perry McCarthy will tell you that when Stig reveals his true identity, he must be murdered in the cruelest possible way.

Congratulations, Collins; Some say he writes only in Braille, and that the paper he uses dates back to ancient Egypt,All I know is you've written a book as (soon to be) ex-stig.

[wwgkd]

It is WRITTEN IN to the "Stig" contract to maintain the secrecy.
Collins by publishing breaks the contract, which he had signed, so I don't get the Beeb bashing I see in some places.
Personally I think he's REALLY pissed off at how much money the Stig image is bringing in and he does not get one penny of royalties on it all.
Also, there can only be a finite amount of time you coudl stand having to work with JC on a regular basis - no matter HOW much money was on the table.

EDIT: British tabloids are TRASH publications with poorly educated writers who have to get headlines whichever way they can - because it will NEVER be for the quality of research or writing !! Who the Stig is is a very easy article to print.

This.


pah, you just dont understand irony.
He's funny and entertaining BECAUSE he's a bigotted, non technical arse :)

He's the Archie Bunker of cars. I always thought it worked.


The point of The Stig is that they can use other people if they have to (availability, specialist drivers for the cars, etc) but their main guy is (probably) Collins. I can see why the BBC wants to keep him under wraps and understand Andy Wilman's position (http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2010/08/27/the-stig-he-is-ours/) (producer, created the new format with Clarkson) but surely there'd be a better way to do this.. now the book will be written by an 'ex-stig' anyway, which is always going to be a bit sour. Not sure.. it's clearly a breach of contract, but surely there's a better way for Collins to get some cashola..

Plus as an anonymous driver you don't get people saying "Ben Collins?! My grandmother drives better than Ben Collins. If it were in the hands of a REAL driver like _____ then _____ (favorite) car would have been the fastest!" He's all knowing and all powerful, he's the Stig.

I could understand him doing this if he was really old and looking back on his life, but what did he expect to happen by doing this now? Does he think the publicity will get his stunt driving company more business?

[pimento]

Well, it might.. you want a proven, experienced, fast driver? You want The Stig. This guy has proven Stiggyness, so hey.. let's go hire him.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

In all honesty yes, I think he does think this will drum up more business for his stunt driving.

But that'll fade I suggest because most manufacturers already have their own test drivers to sort out their cars, and unless he can endorse a vehicle as "The Stig", his input will be fairly worthless cache wise.

Seeing as the BBC owns "The Stig", I doubt that. I hope the biography makes enough money to counter the loss in wages this dude will have when the BBC axes his ass.

[Rockefella]

There's a lot of money in 'the stig' title to be made. The problem is that for Ben Collins to reveal that he is/was the stig, he has gone from Ben Collins to unknown motoring legend and back to Ben Collins again, albeit with 5 minutes of fame.

BBC is the only one that can cash in on the stig since the fame lies in the mysteriousness and secrecy. Maybe he was tired of the gig. Everyone loves the stig but he was never able to bask in the glory by keeping it a secret. I guess it's time he hung up the reigns and closes that chapter of his life.

[RacingManiac]

EDIT: British media in general are TRASH publications with poorly educated writers who have to get headlines whichever way they can.

fixed....

I watch Top Gear for the entertainment value now. No point worrying about any "information" presented on the show since the credibility is doubtful. JC also writes interesting articles, but also, not useful as a reference material, but entertaining read.

I like how they try to put James May as a "smart and knowledgeable one". Since he also spew sheer non-sense most of the time in his supposedly technical talk...

He makes good documentary though, the one about him talking about the space program in US was very good TV...

At anyrate, BBC will probably just find another The Stig. Racing driver who went nowhere with their day job are dime a dozen....

[cargirl1990]

Oh my goodness. They revealed the talented Stig.

[Matra et Alpine]

fixed....

Editing quotes is a bannable offence - SERIOUSLY !!

Worse, still it shows a lack of reading of the "better" publications and press sources in the UK.

eg The Sunday Post - home of The Broons and Orr Wullie. Say anything bad about them and we stuff yer heid up yer ---- :)

[TVR IS KING]

I have always thought the fun was in not knowing. I really don't get the British tabloids' insatiable need to find out who the Stig is.
Do most Brits enjoy getting the fun sucked and slandered out of everything?
Oh I know. The whole point of The Stig was that he's portrayed as being mysterious and only semi-human. Knowing who he is simply spoils it. But tabloids are like that, they'll post huge bounties for information such as the Tiger Woods scandal, and gladly ruin people's lives (or in this case, a humerous and long-running joke), because they know they can profit from it. It's disgusting. Of course, the real issue is the people that buy it...

[DesmoRob]

...what its not schumacher?! :p:rolleyes:

[henk4]

...what its not schumacher?! :p:rolleyes:

no, he was not fast enough.

[RacingManiac]

...what its not schumacher?! :p:rolleyes:

No, he actually still have a day job...

[DesmoRob]

no, he was not fast enough.

...so mercedes hired him instead :D.

[pimento]

Top Gear announce a new range of t-shirts.

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=340844&stc=1&d=1283575073

[wwgkd]

Top Gear announce a new range of t-shirts.


lol. Seriously though, I'd buy it.

[pimento]

The Stig, as we're all now aware, is portrayed by talented wheelman Ben Collins. Stiggie, like the three Top Gear presenters, is beloved by fans around the globe. It's hard to attend a motorsports event without someone claiming to be a fat relative of the white-suited power lap maestro. What would persuade Mr. Collins to give up his clandestine position behind the visor? According to The Daily Mail, it all comes down to money.

Ben Collins' company, Collins AutoSport, has reportedly racked up over $1.5 million dollars in losses over the last five years. He has a wife, three young kids and three other business ventures to support. The other members of Top Gear command handsome sums (rightfully so) and perhaps Collins felt he deserved a larger slice of the BBC cash cake. Removing the helmet allows him to cash in on what's sure to be a substantial number of opportunities. He recently received an advance of close to $400,000 to begin work on his autobiography and there's already talk of a Ben Collins TV Show.

Is breaking the trust of his Top Gear brethren worth the potential financial windfall? In the eyes of many fans, it might not be, yet we imagine Collins' autobiography will be a page-turner. To Collins and his family, however, this bold move might be the fast lap to fiscal freedom.

Source (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/04/why-the-stig-outed-himself/).

[wwgkd]

They mention the wife and kids like they're all starving on his salary. But I'm thinking if his business wasn't losing 1.5 million a year, or if he didn't have it, he might be better able to provide for said wife and kids. How much was he recieving for his services?

[IBrake4Rainbows]

This sounds like a difficult situation for him to be in, but plainly if this is his bank or bust move I've got some bad news for him - I don't think anyone really cares what he has to say.

I, for one, Don't. I just think it's a textbook example of what not to do when your role relies on you wearing a helmet - negotiate for more money, don't kill your chances of making more.

[henk4]

This sounds like a difficult situation for him to be in, but plainly if this is his bank or bust move I've got some bad news for him - I don't think anyone really cares what he has to say.

I, for one, Don't. I just think it's a textbook example of what not to do when your role relies on you wearing a helmet - negotiate for more money, don't kill your chances of making more.

do you know whether the negotiations for more money did not already fail?

[IBrake4Rainbows]

It's presumable that the negotiations weren't to his liking otherwise he would have stuck with his BBC contract, surely. I understand the ability to cash in on TG, and his inability to do that without being unmasked. I just think;

A) he's already missed the Fathers Day book release time and is now going to rely on Christmas for sales.
And
B) By announcing his status he immediately nullifies it - no doubt White Stig is not to be seen in the series anymore.

[henk4]

B) By announcing his status he immediately nullifies it - no doubt White Stig is not to be seen in the series anymore.

let's see how they will deal with that....I think nobody will step in the void, without getting at least proper payment.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

Well if all rumours are to be believed the show only has a few seasons left in it - so they might very well just hire a temporary Stig.

some say his contract is on a per-episode basis, and that he is paid in shekels. All we know is, he's called work-experience stig.

[henk4]

well, FWIW, I did not find the stig part the best section of the show anyhow, so not much of a loss here.

[Kitdy]

So the rumour is TG is not long for this world? That's a bit of a shame if it's true. I wonder why that's the case.

[henk4]

So the rumour is TG is not long for this world? That's a bit of a shame if it's true. I wonder why that's the case.

people are getting bored quite easily these days.

[Matra et Alpine]

First off there are HUNDREDS of highly talented "racing drivers" who are not getting sponsorship. THus why Mr Collins other businesses are now in deep doo-doo :(
There just is not the moeny around there was even 5 years ago.
So , sorry the BBC will be able to find a driver withotu much difficulty of they chose to.
YES, both parties will now ensure that the exit options are more clearly understood - I mean like WHAT was Collins thinking would happen !
Also, the BBC will have to sweeten the pot a little with a small %age of roylaties, no doubt.
But at the end of the day the Stig is a contracted driver for small sections. The BBC and TG marketing do all the real work on the Stig "value". I mean what's next ? The script writers who come up with the "some call him ...." tag lines wanting percentages ??? Not gonna happen :)
TG has had a good run - and so has Stig I and II. I do think there will be a III and JC will take the piss on the penalties they will inflict on him if he ever publicly announces himself on screen at every opportunity.
I also think there is a chance of TG ending ... adn then in 4-5 years coming back as it has before. Boring car review shows are of no interest. If you want the facts use the internet. If you want "opinion" you want ti to be entertaining. IMAGINE the horrors of a show with say Nigel Mansell telling you what he thought of a car handling !!!!!!!

The Stig is dead. Long live the Stig.

Bem ? I wish him the best, but he didn't really think this through.
TG "fans" are partisan adn the only people likely to want to read about him.
BUT he's upset them and so I suspect most will wait for the eBook to come on torrents or signed copies of the hardback in the 50p pile at the church.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

It's like if the Guy in the Mickey Mouse Costume at disneyland decides he wants royalties from the merchandise...Not gonna happen, sorry mate.

But the tell all book "Behind the Mouse: inside the mind of Mickey" will be a best seller.

[Matra et Alpine]

^^^ you think so ?
I don't.
While Ben is out touting the book TG will have the "new" Stig out on track.
He's not had a sparkling career anyway, very much a "journeyman" :(

[Badsight]

So the rumour is TG is not long for this world? That's a bit of a shame if it's true. I wonder why that's the case.
its been past its used by date for a while

even the makers were surprised it lasted past 3 seasons

as for ben collins , you dont have to have a stellar career full of race wins to be able to push , & estimate , cars to their limits

clarkson , when hes talking handeling , is usually repeating what faster members of TG have told him

[IBrake4Rainbows]

^^^ you think so ?
I don't.
While Ben is out touting the book TG will have the "new" Stig out on track.
He's not had a sparkling career anyway, very much a "journeyman" :(

I think when Mickey talks about his dark, racist roots and hallucinogenic drug addiction it might very well be a good yarn.

Also, no one has ever died at Disneyland - they're taken off-site before being pronounced dead, regardless of their demise. Cool story.

[Kitdy]

To put this all in perspective, this has been known for a very long time.

Here's a post from 2004.