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Top Gear's The Stig was told not to show Tom Cruise how to go fast for insurance reasons
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Top Gear's The Stig was told not to show Tom Cruise how to go fast for insurance reasons.
Ben Collins, the tame racing driver behind the iconic white helmet get-up, has years-worth of stories from behind-the-scenes during his stint on the show.
The Stig has since taken to his YouTube channel last week (30 May) to open up about such never-before-told stories - namely his experiences coaching celebrities for the popular 'Star In a Reasonably Priced Car' segment.
During his time on the Top Gear segment, Collins coached a whole range of celebs, including the likes of Cameron Diaz, Jay Leno and Cruise.
Recalling the experience, The Stig reported that he was instructed by the BBC to tone down his teaching skills.
When tutoring the Top Gun star how to drive around the lap back in 2010, Collins was asked by the network not to teach him too well, over concerns that Cruise would go too fast and injure himself - something which the BBC’s insurance might not have been able to sufficiently cover.
He explained: "The BBC had been quite worried about the potential liability issues.
"So there was a general impression that they didn't want me to teach him too much in case he went too fast and then crashed the car."
In many ways, however, the BBC were proven right.
Collins alerted Cruise that he could cut the track slightly on the final corner of the lap to carry more speed over the line.
And that's when it all took a turn - quite literally.
Remembering the stomach-churning moment, Collins recalled: "He had all four wheels on the inside of it and so actually the outer wheels, which were fully loaded, caught the concrete and it flipped the car up."
Thankfully, it all ended up okay in the end for Cruise, Collins and the BBC as the vehicle landed back on its wheels with no harm done at all.
Collins commented on the YouTube video: "Tom Cruise almost reduced the producer to tears when he popped the star car onto two wheels and it looked like we were about to witness a major catastrophe.
"But Tom calmly feathered the throttle, landed it Top Gun style and posted his fastest time. A living legend."
Remembering the chilling moment, another viewer echoed: "It really was sharp. The fact he drive through it instead of just panicking, cutting the wheel right and slamming it back down."
Talk about a close shave.
Topics: Cars, Celebrity, TV and Film, Tom Cruise, Top Gear, BBC
