THE STIG Top driver for Top GEAR [1] The Stig is a character on the British motoring television show Top Gear. The character is a play on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who or what is inside the Stig's racing suit. The Stig's primary role is setting lap times for cars tested on the show. Previously, he would also instruct celebrity guests, off-camera, for the show's "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment. The identity of the original "Black" Stig, Perry McCarthy, was exposed by a Sunday newspaper in January 2003, and confirmed by McCarthy later that year. The black-suited Stig was subsequently "killed off" that October in the series 3 premiere, and replaced in the following episode by a new White Stig who lasted through to the end of series 15. In series 13 episode 1, the show jokingly unmasked the Stig as seven-time world champion F1 driver Michael Schumacher. In the hiatus following series 15, racing driver Ben Collins was revealed to be the Stig in a court battle over Collins' impending autobiography, titled The Man in the White Suit. In series 16, debuting in December 2010, Collins was replaced by a second White Stig, whose identity has so far remained secret.

Characteristics

In the Stig's debut, he was described by Clarkson as having a very small brain, worthless opinions, and a disorder called "Mansell Syndrome".[ep 1] Richard Porter, Top Gear's script editor, described the Stig as "single minded, stubborn and hilariously petulant; specifically, a mix of Kimi Räikkönen, the keyboard player from Pet Shop Boys, and a 15-year-old boy forced to go on holiday with his parents."[14] He has been depicted as a piece of cargo, being collected by Clarkson from the baggage conveyor at the airport;[ep 9] he has also been shown stored in a cupboard when not in use. It has been said that the Stig "has no understanding of money" and during challenges he has been shown using an Oyster card to access London public transportation, and a credit card in the name of "The Stig" issued by the "Bank of Money" to obtain petrol. The show has also featured the Stig's listening habits, as heard on the car stereo as he drives laps. Often a specific genre is chosen for one or more series. The Stig has been shown listening to:

Identity

• Perry McCarthy ^[2] – (2002–2003)
• Perry McCarthy ^[3] – (2002–2003)
• Ben Collins[3] – (2003–2010)
• Unknown – (2010–present)

Role:

In the Top Gear end credits, the Stig is credited alongside Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May as a presenter. The Stig's primary role on the show is at the Top Gear test track at the show's base at Dunsfold Aerodrome, Surrey. His two main functions are to post lap times for featured performance cars in the "Power Laps" segment, and to train celebrity guests to set lap times in the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment.[5][17][18] The Top Gear website describes the Stig's test-driving role as follows: When first introduced, the Stig was described as the resident test driver, as the presenters could not consistently post fast times themselves. His stated mission was to "just go out there and drive fast".[ep 1] The original Stig, Perry McCarthy, described in 2006 how a racing driver was intended to be used as part of the presenting team in order to produce definitive fastest lap times for tested cars.[4]

YouTube:

Skills

Refrences:

1. The Stig From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stig
2. Perry McCarthy--From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_McCarthy -
3. Ben Collins (racing driver) -From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Collins_
4. The Stig YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCELrWeVLazR49umE5qSF3VQ
5. The Stig profile picture https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ad_174020392-e1487698550420.jpg?quality=80&strip=all