Identity of Top Gear's The Stig revealed as Ben Collins

To the viewers of Top Gear, he is part man, part machine, with veins that course with petrol. But the true substance of “the Stig”, the BBC programme’s so-called tame racing driver, was revealed yesterday to be somewhat more prosaic. The identity of the character, who test-drives cars around the Top Gear track, was divulged at the weekend as Ben Collins, a Bristol-based former American speedway driver and stuntman who doubled for Daniel Craig in the latest James Bond film. The name of the white-suited Stig, beloved of the show’s hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, has been an open secret within the motoring world for some years, but the media have refrained from publishing his name to uphold the spirit of the programme.On Sunday, however, a newspaper outed Collins, 33, after following up a story in a Bristol newspaper about a man commissioning a photographic studio in the city to produce limited edition prints of the character.

The BBC has a policy of never commenting on the identity of the Stig, who has a cult following around the world. A spokesman for Top Gear said yesterday: “We never comment on speculation as to who or what the Stig is.” Collins was not available for comment. Privately, staff at the corporation could not hide their frustration. “It’s bloody annoying,” one show insider said. “You wouldn’t write a piece saying that Santa didn’t exist.” Collins has always denied being the Stig, fearing that he could face the sack if his identity was disclosed.