The mysterious Stig. A no-name, no-face figure covered up in a full white race suit and helmet testing fast cars and occasionally giving us a bit of a laugh.
Essentially the fourth star of Top Gear, they seemed just as much of an integral part of the show as Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond did back in the day.
Only the Stig obviously lasted longer on the BBC car show than they did.
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The guy was practically a household name, despite us never knowing their real name. But Clarkson has now blown that mystery by revealing the secret identity of the third Stig.
Yep, the fun’s over thanks to the TV host-farmer-pub landlord.
While Michael Schumacher was known for having made a one-off appearance as a Stig, he wasn’t necessarily one of the ‘real’ Stigs so doesn’t count here.
The first of Top Gear’s white-clad test drivers was uncovered by a British newspaper way back when to have been former Formula 1 driver Perry McCarthy.
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And with the mystery ruined there, the show essentially ‘killed off’ that Stig and replaced it with a second.
In that case, he revealed himself to be the driver as it was former British Formula 3 driver, Ben Collins. He blew his own cover a while later when he detailed his experiences in an autobiography.
With Top Gear now having been 'rested' following Freddie Flintoff’s accident in 2022, the third Stig could potentially be the last.
Having had his identity under wraps for over a decade, he’s never been officially unveiled.
But Clarkson seemingly decided time’s up as he spoke at a Q&A session at his recently opened pub.
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“The original Stig was Perry McCarthy, followed by Ben Collins, followed by Phil Keen,” he said. “There isn’t a current Top Gear so there isn’t a current Stig, but the last one was Phil Keen.”
Yep, apparently the potential lest ever Top Gear Stig is 40-year-old Keen, with an impressive track record of 2010 to 2022. Although, he hasn't yet came out himself to speak out on Clarkson's reveal.
There have been rumours for a while that he was the elusive driver thanks to things likes Matt LeBlanc suddenly following him on Twitter during his stint on the BBC show.
The bloke is a regular in the British GT Championship and is titled as the most successful driver in its history. He also worked on Ben Collins Stunt Driver back in 2015 as well as Monday Motorsport.
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Well, there you go lads, it’s officially over – we know who all the Stigs are now.
Topics: Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson, BBC
Jess Battison