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The Stig set to be “killed off” and re-cast

Top Gear is planning to replace its white Stig following revelations that Ben Collins is the man behind his identity.

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Top Gear is planning to recast its helmeted driver behind The Stig, following revelations that Ben Collins is the man behind his identity.

Collins won a High Court battle with the BBC earlier this week for the right to reveal his identity as The Stig in his autobiography.

Producer Andy Wilman is furious with him for writing about his show adventures. Now Collins is set to follow the path of the black Stig who was replaced with the white Stig in 2003.

James May said: “There was black-overalls Stig, who had to be dealt with by Andy.

“And then we got white-overalls Stig, who will be dealt with.

“We start some filming next week. We’ve had some thoughts – driving to The Stig’s house and nailing his head to the table was one.

“And getting our overalls back because they’re not his.

“And those stupid, poncy shoes he wears. They’re ours. And the gloves.”

Meanwhile Collins is said to have been been signed up by James Grant management, one of TV’s most powerful talent management agencies. The agency is working on formats for him and in the coming months broadcasters will be asked to bid for his services.

Collins is known as a professional racing driver, but add to that child swimming star, former soldier, James Bond and Hollywood stunt man, journalist, presenter, triathlete and marathon runner. He is also a former SAS member. He was a stunt double for Nicholas Cage in his 2007 film National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and then for Daniel Craig in the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace.

He also presented Xtreme Teen Drivers on BBC Three in 2007 – a TV show trying to teach young boy racers to drive more safely.

Source: The Sun, BBC, Herald Sun

23 Responses

  1. Put me in a Prius with pre-recall brakes and send me out on a hot lap, that should finish me off.

    Or maybe take that special wing back off the Zonda again…

  2. We all pretend we don’t know who it is because we enjoy the fun of his being anonymous. New Stig please – so we can have the fun back. Joy-killer Collins!

  3. they’re all being rather childish about the whole thing… then again… look at what they do for a living i’m not surprised they’re acting like 5 year olds!

  4. @ Darcy — Doesn’t sound like quitting Top Gear is going to put him in the dole line. Looks at the guy’s résumé and credentials. He’s also with a top talent agency. He’s not going to be looking for work; work will find him.

  6. They’ll probably kill him off in the very first segment of season 16. Since Clarkson’s review of a car is usually the first thing in an episode, followed by The Stig’s lap, so they need to get it done at the very start.

  7. People in the right circles knew it was ben collins. Even channel 10 interviewed him and revealed him as the stig at bathurst a few years back! May have been on RPM too.

  8. I like the Green Stig idea, maybe his car of choice will be the Prius?

    So if he’s outed and they are just now shooting S16 will they unmask White Stig during the season final? I know they pretended to kill him off at the end of S15. I’m just trying to work out how this will go.

  11. It’s a shame that Ben Collins decided to out himself in such a public way, after all that he has gained from Top Gear. But he was out of contract, and a swap was probably going to happen in any case.

    I’d like to see red Stig.

  13. Its disappointing that this happened, as Darcy said, it was surely worth holding off instead of grabbing some quick cash now.

    @Craig – The next Top Gear season has been delayed until early next year, according to the UK Top Gear magazine

  14. I think they should replace him with Green Stig – ‘environmentally friendly stig’. Collins sold out, the stig is only good as a faceless machine! Kill Collins off…

  15. It would have been a lot more respectful of him to have waited to release his biography and identity after he quit topgear, it’s pretty rude to do it before.

  20. I wonder how they are going to “kill him off”. Killing off Black Stig was brilliant, having him drive off the HMS Invincible and only a black glove washing up on the beach.

  21. So what color next time?

    At least the boys should have fun with this and it’s sure to bring the viewers back around November when the next series goes to air in the UK.

    Kinda OT but will Nine be fast tracking TG in November if it falls for the last few weeks of the ratings, or holding off until Feb 2011, which might be a big mistake IMO.

  22. I’ve never watched a full ep of Top Gear and I don’t plan to, but from what I’ve read and heard, I don’t think this Collins dude should have did what he did…

  23. It’s kind of stupid – every Top Gear fan knows by now that Collins is the stig. So why he wants to lose his job so that he can tell everyone is strange :S Hold off on the autobiography for a few more years, build up the pension fund a bit first, haha.

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