The Stig's true identity is never revealed on the show, and in order to maintain the secrecy, all shots show him wearing full racing overalls and matching Simpson Diamondback helmet. [13][14] All that can be seen from the gap between his helmet and jumpsuit is that he is a white male with dark hair. It is also known that he wears Size 10 racing boots as discovered by the Sunday Times[15] and a well-timed camera flash managed to show The Stig's eyes by Auto Trader.[16]
The identity of Black Stig was revealed to be Perry McCarthy when his book Flat Out, Flat Broke was published in 2003. McCarthy is a former Formula 1 driver and test driver for the Benetton, Arrows and Williams teams, and also tested for BMW F1.[2][13]
The identity of White Stig has not been officially revealed. In a Winter Olympics special episode of Top Gear, The Stig was shown doing a ski jump using a snowmobile. According to the Swedish tabloid newspaper Aftonbladet, the driver performing the ski jump stunt was Dan Lang, a Swedish snowmobile cross driver.[17] In January 2006, a Daily Express article reported that Julian Bailey was The Stig.[18] The Stig has talked in an interview with a Dutch TV Channel, Veronica where he had a distinctly English accent.[19] Both Darren Turner and Ben Collins have been linked to the role, with The Scotsman quoting Susie Stoddart as stating "OK, there are two Stigs. One is Ben Collins and the other is Darren Turner. How do I know? I'm a racing driver, nothing stays a secret for long in motorsport."[20]
Collins has also been the subject of online speculation, although he has denied this, stating "those rumours are absolute nonsense" in the Western Daily Press newspaper.[21] Collins was also referred to in the Health and Safety Executive report into the accident of Richard Hammond, named as a person "who worked closely with Top Gear as a high performance driver and consultant". However the report did not go so far as to name him as the Stig.[21][verification needed][22] In January of 2007 Auto Trader also commented on the possibility that Collins is The Stig, noting online speculation after "his appearance on Top Gear as part of a parachuting stunt", but also commenting that "(a)t 1.87m in height (over six feet) he could be too tall for the Stig’s racing suit." They quoted William Hill as offering odds of 8/1 against Collins being The Stig, with Russ Swift the 2/1 favourite.[23] While Top Gear was filming in Zolder on 22 May 2008 doing a future segment, a camera crew shot footage claiming that they pictured The Stig as test driver Tim Schrick,[24] though further evidence has refuted that claim, including Tim Schrick racing the Stig as part of the Germany vs England feature in Episode 6 of Series 11.[25][26]
Both Russ Swift[27] and Perry McCarthy[2] have claimed that there is more than one driver who plays the role of The Stig.
Mark Webber with an "I AM THE STIG" T-shirt presented to him by Jeremy.The show has alluded to The Stig with Formula 1 drivers that visit the show. In the 26 June 2005 episode, Damon Hill appeared as the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car". When asked directly by Clarkson if he was The Stig, Hill played on the fact that he may be The Stig, but then denied it.[28] Mark Webber was interviewed on 31 July 2005 and at the conclusion of his lap, Clarkson presented him with an "I AM THE STIG" T-shirt.
When former F1 driver Nigel Mansell appeared on the show, Jeremy Clarkson noted that The Stig theorised that the Suzuki Liana (the show's "reasonably priced car" at the time) could achieve a 1:44 time on the track.[29] Mansell proved the Stig's theory by lapping in a time of 1:44.6; The Stig subsequently posted a lap-time of 1:44.4 in the Liana. During the review of Jenson Button's lap, Clarkson commented that he, as did most of the other F1 drivers, took very different racing lines from The Stig's. Button commented that "...obviously, The Stig isn't a Formula One Driver, then." to which Clarkson replied with "Might be."[30]
Although The Stig does talk with celebrities while preparing them for their "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" lap times, he is never shown talking on screen, and in Top Gear magazine articles he is portrayed as unable or unwilling to talk. Clarkson has written that The Stig is not permitted to talk on screen because any opinion he might voice on cars would be rubbish.[31]
