The Stig is Ben Collins. We get it. He may not roam the woods at night foraging for wolves, but he is fast, and now, according to a British High Court, the BBC and Top Gear producers have no right to tell the (un)masked hotshoe he can't write an autobiography in which he details his stint as The Stig.
We won't pretend to understand the way the British Courts work, but the BBC has stated that this isn't over yet. The Stig's commercial value is obviously incredibly high and they don't want to give up a huge chunk of the pie. Which is why Collins is writing a book. Strike while the iron is hot, right?
But this begs a bigger question: So far, we've yet to meet anyone who's genuinely relieved to know who The Stig is and Collins is taking a lot of flak for talking. So, when the book comes out, are you going to buy it?
Us? Not sure about Collins, but we think an anonymous The Stig autobiography complete with Stig-isms would be a fantastic addition to our coffee tables.
( The Guardian )
lexusaddict says:
09:11 PM, 09/ 1/10
I'd buy it if it had the Stig as the face, the author, and a Stig like life autobiography, plus photos, and a journal where he writes all the "some says"
blueguydotcom says:
10:28 PM, 09/ 1/10
If it were a "Stig" book it might be amusing but still no. As Collins...no chance in hell.
hybris says:
11:02 PM, 09/ 1/10
What lexusaddict said.
Otherwise I hate to say it here but I don't know who Collins is and why should I care?
stovt001 says:
11:04 PM, 09/ 1/10
Psh, every time this comes up I say the same thing: these people are just the Stig's helpers, like the Santas at the mall.
insideliner says:
05:11 AM, 09/ 2/10
No, he made a prick move, that could potentially ruin the show.
slickersdrip says:
06:23 AM, 09/ 2/10
If it was from the voice of the Stig itself, wouldn't it just be filled with blank pages?
mrryte says:
06:55 AM, 09/ 2/10
^^^...lol...
And now that the world knows who "The Stig" really is, we can all go back to our mundane lives till another mortal takes up the mantle of the "Stig".
stoppre75 says:
08:43 AM, 09/ 2/10
Going to have to agree with Insideliner, he really might have shot himself in the foot. Much of the lure of the stig is gone now. Its just another pro racer.
The book might be interesting if he recounts his time with Top Gear in an entertaining and interesting manner, but it takes away from the spectacle that the masked man can get the most out of any car, and all the "some says" will be WAY less funny if he has a face.
If however, he foresees an oncoming end to the show, then i don't blame him. Waiting till he's forgotten about would have cost him and as they say "strike while the iron is hot"
What I'm truly curious about is how Top Gear and the BBC will approach the issue when the next season commences...
Murtman says:
09:58 AM, 09/ 2/10
I foresee an aircraft carrier and nitrous oxide...
tcd223 says:
10:26 AM, 09/ 2/10
I'm not going to buy it. It doesn't matter though, Collins will still get a decent advance and people not purchasing the book will only be hurting HarperCollins.
coxwill says:
02:34 PM, 09/ 2/10
What the show should do is interview Collins and during the interview have a new Stig walk in and sit down next to him. That way it's clear Collins is no longer the Stig and we won't know who it is again...
arkitect says:
03:24 PM, 09/ 2/10
I for one will not buy the book. I admit it would probably be a good read but I will not support him for turning his back on TopGear. He should not have done it, it totally discredits the show. I strongly agree with coxwill.
brn says:
03:46 PM, 09/ 2/10
No. Really never gave a sh*t about Stig.
theripepunani says:
07:41 PM, 09/ 2/10
Nope. Collins has essentially sold himself out for the sake of publicity and recognition.
I could definitely see the BBC killing off The Stig again and I'd have no sympathy for Ben Collins and his sudden unemployment.
stovt001 says:
11:39 PM, 09/ 2/10
I love coxwill's idea.
Some say...he has a lesson to learn from a predecessor, and that Top Gear is notorious for stunts involving things that could potentially kill someone...
ms3hothatch says:
04:56 AM, 09/ 3/10
I would not buy it. I think that he could have come out after the show was canceled or in the last episode.
csubowtie says:
09:42 AM, 09/ 3/10
Some say... Ben Collins found a way to return the Stig to the Matrix and regain control of his human body.
And that tryouts for the new Stig involve driving a Group B rally car through London, during rush hour traffic, without paying congestion charge.
lt1boy says:
01:40 PM, 09/ 4/10
Ben Collins did not turn his back on Top Gear. Rather, it was the other way around.
While the three main presenters were earning six figure incomes per show, Ben Collins was only making roughly 10,000 per show. And even though the Stig was hugely popular and a large part of Top Gear, because he could not reveal his identity, Ben Collins could not even capitalize on his own fame. The BBC and the Top Gear execs were extorting him for years.
It's sad to see the mantle of the Stig disappear. But don't blame Ben Collins for it. Blame the greedy executives at the BBC.
veryhrm says:
11:49 PM, 09/ 7/10
a) I'm glad to know who it is. It is pretty lame that he revealed it this way. He'll just get replaced w/ some other driver. The Stig's "character" is independent of who plays him (or it).
b) "begs the question" does not mean "raises the question"... easiest thing to do is just strike the "begs the question" phrase from your writing.
see eg http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/begs-the-question.aspx
Even if you were to argue that the "new" usage is ok it's a hackneyed phrase (much like "... handles X duties." like "3 piston calipers handle breaking duties up front." bleh)
apologies for the unsolicited writing style rant.