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Who is Stig on the BBC Top Gear Programme ?

Started by EDWARD FITZGERALD , Aug 02 2005 19:53

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45 replies to this topic

#1 EDWARD FITZGERALD

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Posted 02 August 2005 - 19:53

I HAVE BEEN WONDERING WHO IS THE NEW STIG ON TOP GEAR , ANY IDEAS ANYONE?

#2 Andrew Kitson

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Posted 02 August 2005 - 19:59

Is this nostalgia? Anyway, Perry McCarthy was the first one. Who it is now, not sure, however Top Gear entered a 2CV in the Snetterton 24hr snail race a couple of years ago. 'The Stig' was one of the drivers - Ben Collins, sportscar driver. Maybe it is still him?

#3 Gary C

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Posted 02 August 2005 - 20:04

I thought we'd covered this; it's always been Perry.

#4 Twin Window

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Posted 02 August 2005 - 20:55

Originally posted by Andrew Kitson

Is this nostalgia?

No, not really!

The current ['white'] one is, I'm advised, Ben Collins (well, in the main. Renault insisted that their man - Heikki Kovalainen - drove the F1 car).

#5 Simpson RX1

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Posted 02 August 2005 - 21:21

It's currently Ben Collins, unless something has changed recently

#6 EDWARD FITZGERALD

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 07:10

Thank you , I will now go back to nostalgia,

#7 simonlewisbooks

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 15:15

Well as the original Stig was an F1 driver from some years ago I guess it might , given a different id for the new one, have counted as a nostalgia question...

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#8 mark f1

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 15:54

As a non-UK person and having seen the cover of Perry McCarthy's book (I've got it, but it's 10,000 kms away from me for the next few months), can someone explain a bit more what the Stig is? I'm guessing some driver they use without showing their identity, how are the segments framed, what's their point etc..?

Mark

#9 karlth

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 16:01

Originally posted by mark f1
As a non-UK person and having seen the cover of Perry McCarthy's book (I've got it, but it's 10,000 kms away from me for the next few months), can someone explain a bit more what the Stig is? I'm guessing some driver they use without showing their identity, how are the segments framed, what's their point etc..?

Mark

http://www.answers.com/topic/the-stig

#10 prty

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 16:46

Yeah it has to be a ex-f1 driver, since he drove Alonso's R24. As far as I know, McCarthy drove as a test driver for benneton.

#11 karlth

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 16:48

Originally posted by prty
Yeah it has to be a ex-f1 driver, since he drove Alonso's R24. As far as I know, McCarthy drove as a test driver for benneton.

I doubt the Stig did drive that F1 car. Ben Collins would though have the credentials with his single seater experience.

Anyway the black and white Stig's are obviously two different persons, Perry isn't driving anymore.

#12 ivanalesi

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 17:47

Wasnt Collins the guy who won Days of Thunder at Rockingham?

#13 PhilKerr

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 17:53

Heikki Kovalainen drove the R24 dressed up as Stig it was not the regular Stig

Stig is a guy called Jamie Davies who sometimes partners Johnny Herbert in sportscars

I have heard this name mentioned twice from acquaintances one of them VERY credible

#14 AndersF1

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 20:46

Why "The Stig"? Where comes that name from?

( the swedish word "stig" means 'path' in english )

#15 ensign14

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 21:05

Originally posted by AndersF1
Why "The Stig"? Where comes that name from?

According to Pel, it was meant to be "The Gimp" after the Pulp Fiction fetishist, but he vetoed it and they tried to think of something sounding similar.

There is a famous kids' book called "Stig of the Dump", about a caveman who lives in a quarry, whose first word was "stig" hence giving him the name. Inspiration from there.

Of course, if the book had been set in Wolverhamption, Stig would have been seen as an intelligent trendsetter.

#16 Dudley

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 22:05

The Stig is Ben Collins, they even featured him (not as the stig) during their Toyota football match early in this season.

He was Perry McCathy for the first 2 years (if you see old shots, Perry was always dressed in Black, Ben is white)

Heikki did drive the renault, Ben could have done but it was part of the agreement with Renault to release the car.

#17 PhilKerr

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 22:18

Originally posted by Dudley
The Stig is Ben Collins, they even featured him (not as the stig) during their Toyota football match early in this season.

He was Perry McCathy for the first 2 years (if you see old shots, Perry was always dressed in Black, Ben is white)

Heikki did drive the renault, Ben could have done but it was part of the agreement with Renault to release the car.

Ben often appears as himself in Top Gear and that is something Perry never did

Ben is quite a stocky guy and the white Stig looks leaner

I think Ben is just a guest driver

#18 LB

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 22:31

Apparently, the stig is and has been many different drivers. McCarthy, Collins and Nicolas Minassian have been very strongly linked. McCarthy is a 100% certainty as the main black stig as he admitted it. Collins is pretty much definately the main white stig, though the stig changes with racing commitments hence the Minassian bit. First time I've seen Jamie Davies mentioned though.

#19 osborn

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Posted 03 August 2005 - 23:29

It's Ben.

#20 Just

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 01:04

When did Top Gear test an F1 car? I missed that one, and would love to find a copy of the episode, if anyone can remember which one it was.

And speaking of Top Gear and F1, Webber was on the last episode. A shame it was in the wet - it'd have been more interesting to see if he could have beaten Damon Hill's lap in the dry (although his wet lap was less than a second off Damon's dry lap, so I guess that's likely). Hopefully more F1 drivers will step up to the plate.

#21 vtpachyderm

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 08:00

Originally posted by Just
When did Top Gear test an F1 car? I missed that one, and would love to find a copy of the episode, if anyone can remember which one it was.

And speaking of Top Gear and F1, Webber was on the last episode. A shame it was in the wet - it'd have been more interesting to see if he could have beaten Damon Hill's lap in the dry (although his wet lap was less than a second off Damon's dry lap, so I guess that's likely). Hopefully more F1 drivers will step up to the plate.

the f1 test was on season 5 episode 8. Go to www.finalgear.com for just about all the info you need on the series as well as fifth gear. Used to be torrents available, but since they received a cease and desist from the bbc, they've stopped that feature, but a search through their forums should be sufficient to find that episode.

#22 simonlewisbooks

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 08:13

Originally posted by AndersF1
Why "The Stig"? Where comes that name from?

( the swedish word "stig" means 'path' in english )

I think it's much more motor-sport based than that.

Think of a famous scandinavian rally driver....

The long line of Swedish and Finnish rally drivers of the 70s and 80s ; Ari, Hannu, Timo, Bjorn and ....Stig , to name but a few, were household names in Britain at the time and all seemed to posess near supernatural car control .
I reckon it's a kind of generic tribute name to them and it's nostalgia too, which fits nicely here.
Of course I could be wrong....

Simon Lewis
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#23 Dudley

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 08:54

Originally posted by Just
When did Top Gear test an F1 car? I missed that one, and would love to find a copy of the episode, if anyone can remember which one it was.

It's on the Top Gear DVD too.

#24 MichaelJP

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 09:05

The whole Stig thing was quite funny at the beginning, but its getting a bit tired now, especially the "oh, what's that music the Stig's got on this time..." bit.

It would be better without the Stig anonymous, then we could hear his comments about the cars handling rather than Clarkson who just spins the tyres the whole lap.

While we're on the subject, their micky-mouse airfield test track is crap as well - flat as a pancake and totally unrepresentative of any proper roads. Fifth Gear uses Anglesey circuit which is far better.

#25 black magic

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 09:10

I'll stick my neck out and say the black stig was the better driver.

pure opinion

#26 PhilKerr

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 09:13

Originally posted by MichaelJP
The whole Stig thing was quite funny at the beginning, but its getting a bit tired now, especially the "oh, what's that music the Stig's got on this time..." bit.

It would be better without the Stig anonymous, then we could hear his comments about the cars handling rather than Clarkson who just spins the tyres the whole lap.

While we're on the subject, their micky-mouse airfield test track is crap as well - flat as a pancake and totally unrepresentative of any proper roads. Fifth Gear uses Anglesey circuit which is far better.

Don't think that would be necessary tbh

Maybe 0.01% of viewers could afford a top of the range Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, McLaren Mercedes which are the usual sort of cars that Stig seems to test so their characteristics would bear no meaning to 99.9% of the viewers who will only ever get to sit in one of the cars if they attend the Motor Show

Top Gear is not meant as a consumer review program otherwise they would be testing Vectra's, Mondeo's, Astra's, Ka's all the time, the show is all about the ego's of 3 guys who are driving cars everyone only dreams of

#27 ensign14

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 10:16

Like the Holiday programmes. They're all off camel-trekking in Chad or landscape painting in Kazakhstan rather than having a week in Skeggy.

#28 Ben

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 10:35

Originally posted by MichaelJP
The whole Stig thing was quite funny at the beginning, but its getting a bit tired now, especially the "oh, what's that music the Stig's got on this time..." bit.

It would be better without the Stig anonymous, then we could hear his comments about the cars handling rather than Clarkson who just spins the tyres the whole lap.

While we're on the subject, their micky-mouse airfield test track is crap as well - flat as a pancake and totally unrepresentative of any proper roads. Fifth Gear uses Anglesey circuit which is far better.

I view Top Gear as an excellent piece of entertainment. It got better when they relaunched it and realised that a TV version of What Car? was boring. I don't honestly think you'd ever learn anything significant about a car's handling from it and I don't expect to.

Ben

#29 Just

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 12:16

Originally posted by vtpachyderm
the f1 test was on season 5 episode 8. Go to www.finalgear.com for just about all the info you need on the series as well as fifth gear. Used to be torrents available, but since they received a cease and desist from the bbc, they've stopped that feature, but a search through their forums should be sufficient to find that episode.

Thanks!

#30 Jhope

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 12:32

Originally posted by prty
Yeah it has to be a ex-f1 driver, since he drove Alonso's R24. As far as I know, McCarthy drove as a test driver for benneton.

It was Hekkie who drove the R24 on Top Gear. :cool:

#31 ivanalesi

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 15:16

Originally posted by MichaelJP
The whole Stig thing was quite funny at the beginning, but its getting a bit tired now, especially the "oh, what's that music the Stig's got on this time..." bit.

It would be better without the Stig anonymous, then we could hear his comments about the cars handling rather than Clarkson who just spins the tyres the whole lap.

While we're on the subject, their micky-mouse airfield test track is crap as well - flat as a pancake and totally unrepresentative of any proper roads. Fifth Gear uses Anglesey circuit which is far better.

I dont have both programs on TV, but I'm downloading them from torrents/dc and finalgear(the guy is doing a great job!). Fifth gear is the more professional one, and I have the impression that the sports car makers prefer it(remember the 1st test of F430 and now the Venturi), both Jason and Tiff are entertaining, but not as much as Clarkson and on the positive side - they definetely dont speak so much crap, if any at all. One is the pro/racing version, the other is the fun one! I like them both, except for some extreme comments by Jeremy's friends.

#32 BRG

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 15:45

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks
Think of a famous scandinavian rally driver....

Of course I could be wrong....

Hmmm, well, I bow to no-one in my admiration for the mighty Stig Blomqvist, the greatest rally driver of all time (IMO). But why would he be chosen as the inspiration for this character, rather than some (probably far more famous) racing driver? Certainly the fact that the Stig never speaks is reminiscent of the real Stig - who is reticent to the point of making Kimi Raikkonen look like a positive blabbermouth.

But given that Clarkson wouldn't know a rally car if it ran over him (we can but dream.... :lol:

), I suspect it is more likely to be a reference to the kid's TV character Stig of the Dump.

#33 karlth

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 15:56

Originally posted by ivanalesi

I dont have both programs on TV, but I'm downloading them from torrents/dc and finalgear(the guy is doing a great job!). Fifth gear is the more professional one, and I have the impression that the sports car makers prefer it(remember the 1st test of F430 and now the Venturi), both Jason and Tiff are entertaining, but not as much as Clarkson and on the positive side - they definetely dont speak so much crap, if any at all. One is the pro/racing version, the other is the fun one! I like them both, except for some extreme comments by Jeremy's friends.

The difference between Tiff and Jeremy was highlighted the best I think when both of them drove supercars from England to the south of France.

Jeremy raced a DB9 against a high speed train, constantly blabbering about screaming at the French, racing the police and the feeling of driving an Aston Martin at speed. Arrogant, overwhelming but hugely entertaining.

Tiff decided on the other hand to drive an BMW M5 on his own to Pau. 20 minutes of him sitting quietly in the car and putting suitcases in the trunk. Utter, utter boredom.

Until of course when he arrived at the circuit, unleashed the car and we enjoyed a few glorious minutes of powersliding.

Great stuff but if I had to choose either one it would be Clarkson's childish behaviour everytime.

#34 PhilKerr

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 18:26

Clarkson does set a bad example though

Even if his road rage is considered entertainment it is still setting a bad example to the viewers of the show that somehoe you have to have road rage and scream and shout behind the wheel to be "cool"

#35 ensign14

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Posted 04 August 2005 - 19:15

It would have to be a particularly stupid viewer to think Jeremy Clarkson is "cool".

#36 black magic

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Posted 05 August 2005 - 03:57

#37 black magic

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Posted 05 August 2005 - 03:58

bloody great having a car show which doesn't blath on about detailed emchanics 99% of us have no idea about.

just how does it go. top gear is very good at describing who would or wouldn't want to buy a car and why.

#38 pio!pio!

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Posted 05 August 2005 - 07:28

Originally posted by ensign14
It would have to be a particularly stupid viewer to think Jeremy Clarkson is "cool".

Also to view Clarkson as an example. Someone that impressionable should get a little wakeup call

#39 Dudley

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Posted 05 August 2005 - 07:38

Top Gear isn't a car program. Which is why it's very popular amougst those who never owned one, and indeed fairly popular for a BBC program in america, where you can't get half the cars.

#40 MichaelJP

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Posted 05 August 2005 - 08:24

Despite not liking the whole "Stig" thing, I actually am a big fan of Top Gear, I've liked JC's stuff since he used to write for "Performance Car".

It certainly is entertaining, even for people who are not into cars. The best bits are the race stunts where Jeremy is against the other two like the Aston Martin one referred to above.

I do think the format needs refreshing continually though - as I said, the Stig thing is getting tired, and so is the Star in the Reasonably Priced Car slot. If they don't come up with new ideas the show will go too formulaic and be canned - as Vic Reeves and Chris Evans have found.

(Sorry, this is getting a bit OT!)

#41 karlth

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Posted 05 August 2005 - 09:36

Originally posted by ensign14
It would have to be a particularly stupid viewer to think Jeremy Clarkson is "cool".

I'm a great admirer of Clarkson's style.

:wave:

<---- Stupid.

#42 Frogman

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Posted 05 August 2005 - 09:46

Originally posted by MichaelJP
I do think the format needs refreshing continually though - as I said, the Stig thing is getting tired, and so is the Star in the Reasonably Priced Car slot . If they don't come up with new ideas the show will go too formulaic and be canned - as Vic Reeves and Chris Evans have found.

They recently upgraded to (ex-)F1-driver in a reasonably priced car. :wave:

#43 BRG

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Posted 05 August 2005 - 10:39

No, no, Mark Webber is still a current F1 driver - although you could be forgiven for not noticing him lately!

#44 sejanus

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Posted 05 August 2005 - 10:46

I love JC's stuff, I think he is funny as hell.

On that note - I remember once on cable TV I watched a show with him where it was not car related but where he went to various countries in europe and basically mocked their culture, although that sounds bad it was very well done and extremely funny, both my wife and I were in stitches watching it.

Does anyone know the name of it? The funniest was when he went to germany.

cheers

#45 BRG

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Posted 05 August 2005 - 12:06

'Jeremy Clarkson Meets the Neighbours'

There were some priceless bits in it, like the Belgian pipe-smoking contest and the Dutch anti speed-camera rebels.