Ben Collins dumped by BBC after being unmasked as Top Gear’s The Stig
Ben Collins has been dumped by the BBC after being unmasked as Top Gear’s The Stig – and he has already been replaced.
The Mirror has exclusive pictures showing the new Stig – the show’s “tame racing driver” – in trademark white jumpsuit and crash helmet at a Top Gear Live event at the Nürburgring racing circuit in Germany on Friday.
The replacement Stig – whose identity is obviously being kept a closely-guarded secret – has been brought in a week after Formula 3 driver Collins’ identity was revealed amid a High Court battle over his autobiography.
BBC bosses claim the book – due out on September 16 – is in breach of a confidentiality agreement which Collins signed, to keep his name a secret.
The BBC insists that keeping The Stig’s identity a mystery is crucial to his daredevil role as test driver for Top Gear, which is watched by 350million viewers around the world. Publishers HarperCollins hit back, accusing the Beeb of squandering licence-fee payers’ money on expensive legal action. But the show’s executive producer Andy Wilman accused HarperCollins of chasing profits to expose a “harmless” TV secret.
Collins – who has worked as a stunt double for James Bond star Daniel Craig – has played the elusive masked driver since 2003.
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