Some say...

The Stig joined Top Gear in 2002, and was given his name after Jeremy noted that new pupils at his alma mater, Repton School, were named ‘Stig’. Introduced as a ‘tame’ racing driver, The Stig was originally clad in black, and was later revealed to be former Formula One driver Perry McCarthy.

Black Stig appeared in the first two series of Top Gear, but he was ‘killed off’ after driving a Jaguar off the deck of HMS Invincible and into the sea. Following his predecessor’s fictional demise, White Stig was introduced.

Other Stigs have made an appearance on the show. In episode 3 of series 9, when the boys drove across the U.S.A., the Stig’s American Cousin joined them for a spin around a racetrack. And when the intrepid threesome journeyed across Botswana in episode 4 of series 10, his African cousin turned up clad in trainers, a loincloth and his omnipresent white helmet.

White Stig’s identity has never been revealed, although there has been endless speculation as to the driver’s real name. Whilst numerous specialist drivers and stuntmen have been suggested, in the first episode of series 13, the Stig removed his helmet after driving a Ferrari FXX around the Top Gear Test Track – and revealed himself to be Formula One legend Michael Schumacher. However, the BBC admitted afterwards that Schumacher was not the real Stig, and his true identity remains a mystery.

FASQ (Frequently Asked Stig Questions)

Why is he on the show?

When Top Gear was brought back in 2002, it was decided that there would be regular races and tests of high-performance cars. But who could reliably compare the cream of the world’s automobiles? Jeremy and Richard’s racing times proved too erratic and inconsistent to be fair, and Captain Slow – well, you can see the problem there. Thus it was decided that a regular racing driver would be brought in. Enter – The Stig.

Where did he get the name ‘The Stig’ from?

As with oh so many things, we can blame Jeremy Clarkson for that one. When Jeremy was at school (Repton School in Derbyshire, fact fans), the nickname for the new boy was always ‘The Stig’. As Stiggy was the new presenter, the name stuck. (Of course, it also helped that Top Gear producer Andy Wilman was also a pupil at Repton, two years below Jeremy).

How many Stigs have there been?

So far, there have been two Stigs. Initially, when Top Gear returned in its new format, there was a black Stig, so called because he was dressed head-to-toe in black leathers. This Stig was, however, fired from the show when he revealed his identity – instead of the deranged racing demon that the role demanded, he turned out in fact to be an ordinary human man. This wouldn’t do, so he was issued his P45, and a new Stig was sought. Thus, White Stig was born (or summoned up, using ritual magic) and made his first appearance on the show, dressed in the now-iconic white leathers and helmet, in 2003.

Is that all the Stigs there’ve been?

Not quite. Sometimes, when doing a particularly arduous challenge, the Top Gear team have drafted in other Stigs from around the world, appropriate to their location. In Botswana, for instance, they drafted in The Stig’s African cousin - dressed as a tribesman but still wearing the white racing helmet. There was also a ‘Rig Stig’ who tested trucks, and on their notorious tour of the southern U.S., the team introduced The Stig’s American cousin, who was enormously obese. (It was diplomatic touches such as this which so endeared Jeremy, James and Richard to the American people).

Who is The Stig, really?

We can’t tell you that. Many names have been suggested from the motor racing world, including Damon Hill, Ben Collins, Julian Bailey, Chris Goodwin and Russ Swift. The Stig could be any, or none, of the above.

But isn’t he actually…

Michael Schumacher? Well, in the first show of season 13, The Stig did “show us his head” as Jeremy put it, and there’s no doubt that the man under the white helmet was indeed the seven-times world F1 champion. However, doubts soon began to creep in, and it was later revealed that Schumacher was not The Stig – he merely dressed up as him.

Why does The Stig listen to strange things when he’s driving?

Nobody knows. He certainly does, however, and among the many aural delights he’s enjoyed on the test-track are rock, prog rock (including King Crimson), county and western, easy listening, J.S. Bach (on a harpsichord), motivational tapes, the speeches of Margaret Thatcher, plus a recent Morse Code phase that went on for some weeks.

How popular is The Stig?

Very. The Stig’s popularity has grown so much that his be-helmeted head is often all that’s needed to identify a genuine piece of Top Gear merchandise. The Stig features on the front of the special Top Gear Top Trumps pack, and in spring 2009, there was even a Stig Easter Egg! Different versions of Top Gear around the world have their own tame racing drivers too – the team on Russian Top Gear call theirs “Stigushka”.

This is all very well, but… how fast is he round the track?

A blur. If Mr Stig isn’t a formula one driver, he certainly performs like one. His all time top speed on the Top Gear test track is 1 minute 10.7 seconds in the Ferrari FXX, but as this was done on slick tyres, (and may have been perpetrated by Michael Schumacher in disguise), we have to take his second best lap as his official personal best – 1 minute 17.1 seconds in a Gumpert Apollo, which is still awesomely fast. He’s made faster times in other cars – including an Aston Martin DBR9 (1.08.6), a Caparo T1 (1:10.6), and Renault Formula 1 car (a preposterous 0.59.0) – but all these laps were disqualified under Top Gear rules as the cars were either not available for public sale or were too low-slung to clear a sleeping policeman. Top Gear is a consumer advice show, after all.

Anything else I need to know?

That’s all we do know – however, Jeremy and Richard have collected many of the more popular rumours about The Stig over the years – here are some of the best.

Some say… a selection of known Stig facts:

Some say… that he sleeps inside out
Some say… that he’s confused by stairs
Some say… that he invented November
Some say… that he has a digital face
Some say… that he’s banned from the town of Chichester
Some say… that he appears on high-value stamps in Sweden
Some say… that he sucks the moisture from ducks
Some say… that he’s illegal in 17 US States
Some say… that his breath smells of magnesium
Some say… that his genitals are on upside-down
Some say… that he invented Branston Pickle
Some say… that his voice can only be heard by cats
Some say… that his first name really is “The”
Some say… that his tears are adhesive
Some say… that he once punched a horse to the ground
Some say… that, once, he had an affair with John Prescott
Some say… that he has a full-size tattoo of his face… on his face
Some say… that he knows two facts about ducks. And both of them are wrong.
Some say… that he thought Star Wars was a documentary
Some say… that he once had a vicious knife-fight with Anthea Turner
Some say… that when he slows down, brake lights come on in his buttocks
Some say… that to unlock him, you have to run your finger down his face
Some say… that he once had full sex with Russell Brand’s answering machine
Some say… that he isn’t allowed, by law, within a hundred yards of Lorraine Kelly
Some say… that he’s never seen an episode of Top Gear, because he’s a huge fan of Midsomer Murders