- Clearly, he is Jesus.
- Status: Confirmed in the 2010 Christmas drive to Bethlehem Special. No, really.
- He's the Anti Anti Christ or Kroenen's less Ax-Crazy but much more single-minded creation. Kroenen needed a Bad Ass Driver - that's the black one, and the black one made the white one... somehow.
- Apparently, he's a dude called Ben Collins. But the BBC's keeping their mouths shut over the matter.
- Perhaps there's no one Stig, though there may be a "primary" Stig who handles most of the appearances. There may be a clause in the Stig's contract to the effect that he gets fired if his identity is ever leaked to the press, so Auntie Beeb would want to keep its mouth shut over the matter.
- Specifically, there's probably one who does all the power laps, one who does the rally type stuff, one who does the really heavy stuff such as F1 car driving, and guest Stigs to do all the weird and wonderful bits and pieces. Not to mention the clearly-different joke Stigs such as African Stig and (maybe, it might be padding) Rig Stig and American Stig.
- Ben Collins is one potential Stig, he's certainly the chap mentioned as a co-presenter in the official accident report into Hammond's near fatal jet car crash.
- Ben Collins has been confirmed to be the Stig. The BBC failed to get an injunction preventing his autobiography being published.
- American Stig was definitely Elvis.
- Apparently, he's a dude called Ben Collins. But the BBC's keeping their mouths shut over the matter.
- Excel-2009. He's a spy from the BBC charged with keeping their already outrageous antics in check. The BBC lets Top Gear get away with a lot; the Stig is the arbiter of how far past the limit they're allowed to cross.
- What happens if they cross the line? Does Stig dispense justice himself or just report them?
- Maybe it's ex-presenter Jason Dawes, presumably on loan from old format inheritor Fifth Gear?
- Viewers might be able to detect a slight difference between the silhouette of him and the Stig.
- The Germans didn't notice the difference between Stig and May, though....
- Considering Verizon FiOS has added Jason Dawe(s)' name to the Top Gear cast list for every episode... Or maybe it's a, um, Patriot Day prank? (checks back a week later: No, he's still on the lists... odd)
- Viewers might be able to detect a slight difference between the silhouette of him and the Stig.
- Clearly, he's the White Ranger.
- This troper is fairly shameless about how much he detests the "character X is a Time Lord!" meme, but even he can admit when it fits and it's quite obvious that the Stig is a regeneration of Ayrton Senna.
- Not a Time Lord, but a Slab. Stranded on earth, wandering the countryside, accidentally run over by James as he crossed a road, and now kept around to test cars with robotic precision. Plus he doesn't complain or eat much, so that's a plus.
- I've heard a rumour that sometimes the car manufacturers aren't happy having someone they don't know throw their expensive test cars around the track for the power lap, so the Stig in those sections is one of the manufacturers own test drivers.
- The Stig always takes the same line while testing, so that's unlikely (it's the same line Lewis Hamilton used, but no other F1 drivers... hmmmm...). Anyway, we all know the Stig is really the Goddamned Batman!
- It wouldn't be hard to just ask the test driver to take the Stig's line. After all, it almost certainly IS the fastest line for almost all cars. F1 drivers take a different line because their experience tends to be in open-wheel racing, not sports-car racing. Only one F1 driver beat the Stig's time in the liana, and IIRC he took Stig line.
- The Stig always takes the same line while testing, so that's unlikely (it's the same line Lewis Hamilton used, but no other F1 drivers... hmmmm...). Anyway, we all know the Stig is really the Goddamned Batman!
- Apparently, the big reveal is tonight (21st June). This troper putting his money on a big unreveal
- The Stig is Michael Schumacher. The reason that last lap was so incompetent is that he happened to be possessed by Sam Beckett, who may have an IQ of 267, multiple black belts and the ability to speak seven languages, but never trained as a racing driver.
- Except for 2 things: Schumacher was still racing for the majority of White Stig's run, and probably wouldn't have been off filming power laps for TV, and Schumacher's still credited separately from the Stig on that episode...
- Also, why would "The Stig" have to do that lap in the first place? He's already done one back when they changed the cars. Shame that we'll never see Schuey actually do a real lap now to compare with Mansell and Hamilton....
- Schumacher was the Stig ... on the episode he was unmasked on. This is because the car featured in the power lap, the Ferrari FXX, is so absurdly rare and powerful that only the owner is authorized/qualified to drive it. The black FXX is a special car, (the rest of the FXXs are Ferrari red) 30th in a limited edition of 29, presented to Schumacher by the company as a retirement gift.
- They aren't all red, there are also yellow, black, silver and white but Schumacher's is the only black FXX without a stripe, it comes with red trim on the wheels, it has matte exhaust tips (regular FXX's have chrome tips), and his personal logo is stitched on the racing seats.
- Except for 2 things: Schumacher was still racing for the majority of White Stig's run, and probably wouldn't have been off filming power laps for TV, and Schumacher's still credited separately from the Stig on that episode...
- The Stig is James May. However, to keep his identity secret, the James May from an alternate dimension has agreed to cross over and co-present the show.
- Richard Hammond insinuated in Series 6 Episode 4 that James' mum was The Stig. Stig-ness must run in the family.
- The Stig is the last of the Mandalorians. Come on, do you really think the design of the racing helmet is just a coincidence?
- The Stig is Dr. Helmer from Riget. Come on! His first name IS Stig!
- While skulking the Death Note WMG page, someone suggested Soichiro Yagami was the Stig. Considering he crashed a van into a TV station (not long after suffering a minor heart attack, mind you), they may have a point.
- At the very least, the Stig is clearly protecting himself from Kira.
- For record's sake, the fangirls on Livejournal tend to suggest Stiggy's an alien or an android. The best idea I heard is he's an android from the future created by Jeremy.
- This troper has a friend who once met Clarkson, and was told that The Stig is simply whichever driver the car companies send along. Why else would he be able to drive all the different cars with only a couple of laps to practice?
- Well that does explain Schumacher.
- The Stig is a person who is good at driving cars.
- If there are multiple Stigs for different cars and different types of driving, and they are all The Stig, then we have to look at what they have in common: The Costume. Any driver wearing the helmet and coveralls literally becomes The Stig. The Stig is always The Stig, it's just that he wears different people.
- Thank you for turning the Stig into Nightmare Fuel.
- It wasn't as hard as you'd think.
- Thank you for turning the Stig into Nightmare Fuel.
- The Stig is someone from Watchmen, I just haven't decided who... maybe it's all of them taking turns:
- Movie!Nite Owl II wears a rather Stig-like mask/helmet in the Arctic, and he's clearly handy with machines.
- Rorscharch (he'd be an older Stig) considers his mask to be his true face, and though he doesn't talk very much he's quick on his feet and his mind.
- If the rarely-clothed, glowing, talkative (under the right circumstances) Dr. Manhattan wanted to go out and relax, what else would he disguise himself as but as a guy who is completely covered and silent? (those occasional flashes of flesh are just an additional layer of clothes)
- Adrian Veidt wouldn't pass up the chance to drive the most powerful cars on earth as fast as he can.
- Silk Spectre I and/or II... why the hell not?
- Like Darth Vader, after seriously injuring himself in the rocketcar crash Richard Hammond was given significant cybernetic implants and became The Stig. All previous Stig appearances are going to be explained when Ham/Stig is given a time machine in the last season.
- Gentlemen, I put Rubens Barrichello's name into the fray. Beat the Stig's time? Check. Similar line to the Stig, as noted by Clarkson? Check.
- Jamie Hyneman. With all the other things he's done, "tame racing driver" isn't too much of a stretch.
- While patrolling WMG, I saw that someone suggested that England from Hetalia: Axis Powers was the Stig. I quite like this idea, myself.
- A member of Daft Punk. One of them happens to like cars, and still wants to be The Faceless.
- Denny from The Art of Racing in the Rain, dudes. I mean the Stig could have been an American road race driver who happen to know a writer and have a dog named Enzo. Maybe much of that book is true except the part about Denny going to drive for Ferrari.
- A fairy. Namely, the folktale version. He is said to be afraid of bells, confused by stairs, heard only by cats, has weird anatomy, and spends his spare time acting hunting wolves and fish. All of these traits are at least partially influenced by traits ascribed to fairfolk in legends. It's possible that the "real" Stig, the one that the other Stigs are covering up for, is a fairy who is trying to reach out to and integrate with the humans to bring about a new era of fairy/human cooperation. Either that, or he has somehow been roped into a contract with the creators of Top Gear.
- The Pyro. Both of them have seven letter names and suits with masks. Stig just crosses between dimensions when he's not driving cars.
- the Stig is a 40k ork The completely covering suit Is to prevent his spores from spreading. Unusually curious for an orc he's Testing the various cars to see how Fast something can go without being painted red. Also His love of speed coincides with the Fact that going fast is a literal drug for orcs.
- The Stig is from 40k, but he's not an ork. As has been noted above, the Stig is actually a costume and helmet that possesses anyone who dons it. Clearly he's an Eldar Phoenix Lord, presumably of the Shining Spears aspect (or some similar fast-ground-vehicle-based option).
- Obviously, the Stig is Stig Anderson, and he is using the show as part of his ever-present plan to conquer the world.
- There's only one logical answer to this question.
- The Stig is Santa Claus. Think about it. He disappears around Christmas time; he has many family members who look very similar to him, including at least one fat Stig; and his nigh-superhuman driving skills would explain how all those gifts get delivered in one night.
- Some say he POOP JOKE, others that he WAWA YUENGLING UTZ, all we know is...he's Mr. Regular. Because how many car guys who never show their face can there be?
- Judging by the previous Stigs, he probably is a racing driver, maybe even a successful one, but definitely not a famous one.
- Which one, though?
- All of them. They're all different regenerations of the same one.
- No, which presenter?
- ....the Stig. More on the Time Lord WMG page itself.
- All of them. They're all different regenerations of the same one.
- The picture of "James" from 1973 shown during the news segment of the last episode of Series 17 seems to be good evidence for him being one.
- Richard Hammond is a Time Lord and his TARDIS is Oliver.
- When Hammond wears his hair short, he kinda looks like David Tennant.
- When this troper was younger, up until he was 8, he thought Richard Hammond WAS David Tennant.
- When Hammond wears his hair short, he kinda looks like David Tennant.
- The Reasonably Priced Car may not be a Time Lord, but it does have some connection to the Doctor. At the time of writing, there have been three doctors in the new series, with a fourth coming, and Top Gear have had three RPCs, with a fourth coming. Christopher Eccleston started and left in 2005. David Tennant started in 2005 and left in 2010. Matt Smith started in 2010 and will leave in 2013. The Suzuki Liana started in 2002 and was replaced in 2005. The Chevrolet Lacetti started in 2006 and was replaced in 2010. The Kia Cee'd started in 2010 and will be replaced in 2013. If that's not enough, Eccleston took a lap in the Liana, Tennant took a lap in the Lacetti and Smith took a lap in the Cee'd.
- Indeed. Clearly he is Lewis Hamilton.
- We have seen the back of The Stig's neck (between the helmet and the leathers). He is white with dark hair.
- or he has vitiligo...
- We have seen the back of The Stig's neck (between the helmet and the leathers). He is white with dark hair.
- Alternatively, the presenters of Top Gear are all in hospital like Alex. Hammond and the Stig were able to get into her Coma World, like how that male cop got into hers during season 2.
- Or the Stig exists there when he's not on the track, and Hammond ended up there after crashing the Jet Car.
- In the Ashes to Ashes finale we learn the coma world is a sort of halfway house for police officers who need help crossing over to the afterlife. Hammond is not a police officer. Stig, we don't know. Unless Hammond went to a Coma World for drivers which is run by the Stig (like how Hunt runs his Coma World for the police officers) and they ended up crossing over.
- Of all the WMGs here, this is the one I most hope to see proven wrong.
- Fucking second man. I fear for him from now till November.
- Of all the WMGs here, this is the one I most hope to see proven wrong.
- And at two days before the new series begins, I am officially calling this one Jossed. Thank. God.
- Hear hear. Long live Jezza.
- If he ever dies, he will be somewhere between 89-100, and his spectacular death will involve his favorite car, twenty thousand caravans, a hammer, missiles, explosions, an AK-47, POWER and his terrible Vespa. So he can have it carved in on his gravestone "Jeremy Clarkson-Most badass television presenter who ever lived. Take that, Richard and James!"
- Hear hear. Long live Jezza.
- I think that was silver nail polish.... which may well still be on since nail varnish is difficult to remove.
- At least not without ruining the paintjob.
- As of Series 18, during the track day car test, the rhinestones are still there!
- At least not without ruining the paintjob.
- ...someone forward this to her already!
- In which Richard Hammond will cheat by by doing the whole race flying in Airwolf
- Semi-confirmed, it happened, but in the pilot of America's Top Gear.
(Note: according to The Other Wiki, official rumors suggest the Chevrolet Cruze. Update: Top Gear Magazine is confirming that it will be the Cruze.)
- Robin Zimm: I'm looking at the Toyota Yaris, actually. The magazine lists a 1.3 liter for 9682, and it's reported to have good handling.
- Buckets o' body lean, but otherwise yes.
- Chariset: Morris Marina?
- Robin Zimm: ...that would be hilarious!
- Chariset: If you can't get around the track in under 2:00... well, let's just say you don't want to know what will happen then.
- Robin Zimm: ...that would be hilarious!
- Kazokuhouou: Whatever it is, Michael Gambon will come back and clip the corner with it. Make it a hat-trick!
And the final update: Everything is Jossed! The car is a Kia cee'd! And Tom Cruise clips the last corner with it!
- Confirmed. According to Ben Collins' (The 1st White Stig's real name) autobiographical book, they actually did that.
- And now he's stolen James May's hairstyle! It's all coming true!
- As I said up at the RPC WMG, I think Michael Gambon will come back for one more go, simply because it'd be hilarious.
- Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and/or Arthur Darvill. Matt Smith's the easy answer why, the past two Doctors have been on Top Gear, it'd make sense to have the new one. And there's precedent for companions to go on the show, look at Billie Piper. Karen Gillan's the more likely bet, cause she's easy on the eyes, but if Arthur has enough of a car history he's got a shot.
- John Barrowman's probably out though. I've heard that he refuses to go onto Top Gear cause Jeremy's made some homophobic jokes.
- Series 18 has seen Matt Smith not only become the most recent, but also the fastest Time Lord in a Reasonably-Priced Car.
- Currently, The Other Wiki page is suggesting that the next guests will be Alastair Campbell (former Director of Communications and Strategy for Tony Blair), Rupert Grint (which makes sense, if he's promoting Deathly Hallows), and Rubens Barrichello (which makes only a marginal amount of sense, the date he's slated to be on is the weekend of the British Grand Prix, so he'd be in the country, but would he have time to make the interview and the race?). Having said that, Wikipedia's been proven wrong before.
- Campbell's confirmed.
- Barrichello confirmed his visit on his Twitter
- Having also said that, though, as a diehard Rubens fan, I totally support bringing him on. I also call, if Lewis Hamilton wins this year's championship, he'll probably be back on. If someone else wins the F1 championship, whether they come on or not will really depend on their reputation here. Mark Webber is more likely to be invited than, say, Fernando Alonso.
- Also, I fully support inviting David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen on.
- It's too late now to do it this series, but a future one-namely one that coincides with one of the Breaking Dawn movies-could see Robert Pattinson. He's the only likely one: he's British.
- Since a new reasonably priced car is being used it is likely Jay Kay will try to reclaim his top spot.
- Last time I checked, there's a line in his contract that means he has to be fired if his identity is revealed.
- For, B) I'm going to put it out there and say silver. Or Union Jack coloured.
- Mmm, Top Gear has too much Patriotic Fervor as it is. Union Jack would be over the top. Like the silver idea, though.
- Okay, got an A. It doesn't exactly beat aircraft carrier, but it does fall with a running gag. The Stig spontaneously combusts when Rubens Barrichello escapes
with his lifefrom pancake-hood at the Hungarian Grand Prix. - The Tartan Stig, maybe?
- Yellow (normal yellow, not neon "safety" yellow), which will set off a bunch of Bruce Lee / Beatrix Kiddo speculations.
- Alternatively it will be neon yellow and they'll claim it's because he's been sent by the BBC's Health and Safety department.
- Orange (or whatever color those things are in the UK) with reflective accents as the Half-Human Hybrid offspring of the Stig and a road safety cone, either created in a lab or consensually. Would that be considered a Cargo Ship?
- And here I thought Krauser having a one night stand with the Tokyo Tower couldn't be topped.
- Granted, it is possible that they would not even dignify Ben Collins's departure with a 'death' for the White Stig, just hire someone new to play him. Thing is: this would just prove Collins's point about how he's outing himself because he's tired of feeling expendable, and also I think the hosts and producers need to get their anger out somehow.
- For B, I second whoever said blue. The reason? The black uniform had white as a second color, and the white uniform has a blue visor... Yeah, not so strong of evidence, but it's the only lead I have. And as for A, it obviously won't be water-related. I hope they do something with fire.
- I suspect they'll get another "White Stig" and carry on as though nothing had happened. The "Stig Farm" sketch showed a white-clad Stig apparently being selected.
None of the people claiming to be the Stig have ever actually been truthful, nor has there ever been a replacement. All that really happened was that the BBC contacted certain persons to say they are the Stig whenever someone's too close to seeing the Stig, and then they have a stunt guy 'die' while Stiggy picks out some new clothes.
The Stig, of course, goes along with it so he can change his style every now and again. I'd imagine those suits eventually age weirdly, and perhaps the white one simply held up better than the black.
And the injunction on "white's" autobiography? A devious ploy to hide their intentions.
- I agree. That helmet is F**KING good for hiding a face.
- This would actually fit disturbingly well in one of those Darths & Droids alternate reality strips...
- There have been verified sightings in October 2011 of the guys in India filming for this year's special.
- Well, darn. Of course, this WMG is still open for future seasons, although I would not be surprised to see some smaller Australia episodes during the next few seasons as well/instead.
- And for 2012, they are going back to Africa. Uganda, specifically. Also, because of the series delay, the Christmas episode will air in February.
- The 2013 Christmas special sightings have been very elusive, but it's been confirmed: Myanmar and Thailand. Oh, and it's airing in February...again.
- The only question is which team crosses The Pond to do it — my money's on the US hosts going to Britain. — Robin Zimm
- It's entirely possible that they could do one episode of each show with the other team making a guest appearance. — Kevin W.
- Given the British hosts' incessant cheating on prior international challenges, UK—>US would allow a great Hoist by His Own Petard opportunity in the stacked-car race. Imagine Tanner, Rut, Adam and their fourth with Geos stacked onto police-auction-"fresh" Crown Vics after waving Jezza, Hamster and Captain Slow into their original, much-crashed Austin-on-Jag setups.
- The US team might even have a challenge that has one of the hosts drive one of the other team members cars that had shown up on the show. Clarkson would get Tanner's racing car while Adam "The Wrecker" would drive... Oliver.
- They could resurrect the Small Car Challenge with Jezza in a non-S Mini Cooper against Tanner in a Chevy Sonic 1.4T. Tanner, sponosred by Ford, would feel obliged to screw something up and miss the giant soccer ball (giving the Brits a chance to crack wise about Americans and footy...
- Status: Horribly crushed. Chris Evan's didn't go over with any audiences.
- With Sabine Schmitz's tragic death from vulvar cancer in 2021, this has actually come true with a 30 minute tribute show featuring the three's first appearance on Top Gear in over six years as of writing.
- Haven't seen it. All the news outlets are suggesting it will include brief interview clips with the trio, but knowing the BBC's current marketing strategies there's a good chance it'll just be Stock Footage from their adventures with Sabine.
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