# Stig is known **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139 "2009-01-20T15:37:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/1 "2009-01-20T15:37:50Z")
I’m not sure if anyone cares. I don’t know if I care, but: following lots of speculation, we now know who the Stig (of Top Gear fame) is. [link](http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/jan/20/top-gear-stig-revealed) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/2 "2009-01-20T15:42:45Z")
I wish they hadn’t told at all - some things are better a mystery - but at least they let you avoid knowing. For the other -people if you go to that link, they don’t instantly tell you who he is. They just tell you his ID is known, and you have to follow another link to find out who he is. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/3 "2009-01-20T19:17:03Z")
Can someone please explain to me why was it so important that the Stig be secret? The show is a lot of fun to watch (mostly for the banter and non-car stuff, actually.) But who would have cared if they showed Stig’s face and name? It could have added some spice to the show, to have an additional personality to tease and joke with. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/4 "2009-01-20T19:23:21Z")
Since this is about a TV show, I think it’ll do better in Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![kbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbear)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/5 "2009-01-20T19:26:30Z")
The not knowing was half the fun. The paper who spilled the beans should have found something important to write about. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/6 "2009-01-20T19:28:52Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Can someone please explain to me why was it so important that the Stig be secret? > The show is a lot of fun to watch (mostly for the banter and non-car stuff, actually.) But who would have cared if they showed Stig’s face and name? It could have added some spice to the show, to have an additional personality to tease and joke with. It was just a gimmick, I suppose - and when you look at the amount of discussion and speculation it has raised, arguably quite a successful gimmick. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/7 "2009-01-20T19:32:29Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > It could have added some spice to the show, to have an additional personality to tease and joke with. Maybe the main three didn’t want to share their place as the headline of the show? ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/8 "2009-01-20T19:37:45Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Can someone please explain to me why was it so important that the Stig be secret? The Stig is supposed to be a superhuman driver who sets a standard for driving of all the exotic cars they test on the show. Now, if they could get someone that most people would agree is one of the best drivers in the world – Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, or me, for instance – they could benefit from his/her prestige and use him/her as a personality as well. Since they couldn’t get someone at that caliber (they didn’t offer me enough money), they’re left having to use someone who, as skilled as he may be, won’t be recognized as an expert driver by most viewers. Rather than let people say, “Who’s this nobody who’s supposed to be such a hot shot,” they make it into a comic mystery. I think it works. My only question is, now that the current Stig has been outed, does that mean they have to fire him and get another, to maintain the mystery? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/9 "2009-01-20T20:05:54Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > My only question is, now that the current Stig has been outed, does that mean they have to fire him and get another, to maintain the mystery? And what color would he be? ---
**Author:** ![Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/10 "2009-01-20T20:20:30Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > And what color would he be? Maybe a whole team of Stigs…like the Power Rangers! There’s Black Stig, and Yellow Stig, and even Pink Stig! Or they could make a kid’s version…One Stig, Two Stig, Red Stig, Blue Stig. I’ll shut up now. But some say he shoots lasers from his eyes and eats dirt like it’s chocolate pudding. Okay, now I’ll shut up. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/11 "2009-01-20T21:14:55Z")
Top Gear writes the Stig as almost a comic book super-hero. You know, mild mannered Clark Kent becomes Superman. Everyone knows that under the jumpsuit and helmet is some guy that drinks beer and watches soccer games, but where’s the fun in that? Instead we get **THE STIG**! It’s all part of the circus. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/12 "2009-01-20T21:44:15Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > Top Gear writes the Stig as almost a comic book super-hero. You know, mild mannered Clark Kent becomes Superman. Everyone knows that under the jumpsuit and helmet is some guy that drinks beer and watches soccer games, but where’s the fun in that? For the Cross-London Race, they protrayed Stig as somewhat dumbfounded when facing concepts that are not driving - he uses a Oyster card not because it’s convienent, but because he has no concept of money, he stares blankly at the ‘Mind the Gap’ sign when the voice come on the PA, Richard & Jeremy bust his chops at the airport - ‘Were you in the tube’; ‘did you see flashing lights’; ‘Watch, smoke will come out the top of his helmet’. He was definitely not portrayed as Clark Kent in that segment…more like the Rainman. (OK, so the whole race segment was one big joke…as opposed to the much more serious launching a car down a ski-jump segment of course). ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/13 "2009-01-20T23:12:28Z")
Hey, Superman has Kryptonite. The Stig has, well, anything that isn’t a car. ---
**Author:** ![SunSandSuffering](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@SunSandSuffering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunSandSuffering)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/14 "2009-01-21T10:36:01Z")
I heard that Ben Collins was revealed to be The Stig in 2006 after the investigation into Richard Hammond’s jet car crash… ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/15 "2009-01-21T10:55:53Z")
I read sometime before the the secret identity thing started off with a pratical reason. They use working professional drivers whose sponsors may not be happy that they are moonlighting. Then the legend grew. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/16 "2009-01-21T11:43:24Z")
another reason for the anonymity is that they can use different people to do the same thing, which might be convenient. Just like Santa, you know. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/17 "2009-01-21T11:44:52Z")
I’ve watched this show many times and never noticed there was an anonymous driver called Stig. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/18 "2009-01-21T12:01:30Z")
"Some say… his skin has the texture of a dolphin’s, and that wherever you are in the world if you tune your radio to 88.4 you can actually hear his thoughts. All we know, is he’s called the Stig" I didnt even click on the link in the OP. Who wants to know who the stig is? That would just spoil the fun, and we lose the chance for all the great introductions… "Some say he knows two facts about ducks, and both of them are wrong… " ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/19 "2009-01-21T12:03:10Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I’ve watched this show many times and never noticed there was an anonymous driver called Stig. what _have_ you noticed? Do you know that it is about cars? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139/20 "2009-01-21T12:03:58Z")
I noticed there was a test driver, didn’t notice the hullabaloo about him being called Stig or The Stig etc. I don’t pay that much attention to crap telly. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stig-is-known/482139.md?page=2)