The Stig

The Stig
Top Gear character
The Stig on display at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
First appearance	20 October 2002 (Series 1; Episode 1)
Created by	Andy Wilman Jeremy Clarkson
Portrayed by	Perry McCarthy (2002–2003) Ben Collins (2003–2010) Unknown (2010–present)
Information
Occupation	Test driver and trainer for celebrity guests

The Stig (Black)
Top Gear character
Portrayed by	Perry McCarthy, occasionally others
Duration	2002–2003
First appearance	20 October 2002 (Series 1; Episode 1)
Last appearance	26 October 2003 (Series 3; Episode 1)

The First White Stig
The First White Stig in 2006
Top Gear character
Portrayed by	Ben Collins, occasionally others
Duration	2003–2010
First appearance	2 November 2003 (Series 3; Episode 2)
Last appearance	1 August 2010 (Series 15; Episode 6)

The Second White Stig
The Second White Stig in 2013
Top Gear character
Portrayed by	Unknown
Duration	2010–present
First appearance	26 December 2010 (Series 16; Episode 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 is inside the Stig's racing suit. The Stig's primary role is setting lap times for cars tested on the show, as well as instructing 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.

The idea for the character was part of host Jeremy Clarkson's and producer Andy Wilman's concept for the relaunched Top Gear show, bringing a new format to the original version of Top Gear which ceased production in 2001. The relaunched show introduced a live studio audience, the Stig, a racetrack, and madcap stunts. Clarkson is credited by the Sunday Times with having come up with the original idea for the Stig.

Clarkson and Wilman wanted to have a professional racing driver as part of the show's cast, but ran into difficulty finding a driver sufficiently adept at speaking on-camera. Clarkson then asked Wilman why the driver needed to speak at all, and they decided that the Stig's role would be silent.