From brandishing fake ID cards to wearing disguises to hide his identity, Collins employed ingenious ways to maintain the secrecy behind ‘The Stig’.
BY SAM MAIN
VIA HOTCARS
PUBLISHED MAY 27, 2023
The BBC show Top Gear made so many unforgettable and iconic moments. From racing to the North Pole to creating sporty ambulances, the Top Gear trio entertained and enthralled viewers and car enthusiasts alike for over a decade. However, without question one of the most iconic and legendary feats to come out of the show is not a review of a multi-million dollar supercar or a celebrity driving a crummy hatchback round the track. No. It is, in fact, 'The Stig'.
Top Gear’s tamed racing driver, known as ‘The Stig’, became the mysterious face (helmet) of the show; a figurehead that countries all around the world now associate with the incredible BBC program. It isn’t Clarkson, Hammond, or May (legendary as they are), but an anonymous man in a white racing suit that represented the car show. That was until Ben Collins, the former tamed racing driver between 2003 and 2010, was revealed to be the man behind the visor. But as incredible as Collins’ job was, what’s even more amazing is the lengths he went to in order to protect his identity as the Top Gear mascot.
Fake IDs, Balaclavas To Protect The Stig's Identity
Most racing drivers, by their very nature, are open with their personalities. For Ben Collins, however, he had to adopt a completely secret identity and anonymous way of working when – in essence – performing as ‘The Stig’. The idea behind the character was, as Clarkson and Wilman (Top Gear’s producer) decided from the outset, for it to be a mute yet masterful driver who was unbeatable. Collins had the latter covered, as he was a well qualified motorsport and stunt driver. The former, however, took planning and caution to achieve.
To keep his identity as ‘The Stig’ as tightly wrapped and as secret as possible, Collins would arrive at the Top Gear test track – Dunsfold – wearing a balaclava to hide his identity. Only a few (such as Clarkson and Wilman knew who he was, even his family did not know he was The Stig. To most of the crew, Collins was a high-performance driving consultant. Little did they know that behind the ski-mask was the legendary tamed racing driver. Collins would also remain self-isolated when at the track, staying in his private cabin away from the stars in the reasonably priced cars or other members of the crew to maintain the anonymity behind ‘The Stig’.
One of the most brilliant methods that Collins used, however, came in the form of an ID card. Just like most television and film productions, identification was needed to enter and exit sets and locations. This presented an issue, as anyone could put two and two together when a high-performance driver enters the track. To get around this, Collins created a fake ID card, going by the fake name of ‘Richard Jameson’; an amalgamation of the three presenters. And for nearly 10 years, these methods worked to keep the rumors at bay as to who ‘The Stig’ was.
How Ben Collins Became Top Gear’s ‘The Stig’
So, how did Ben Collins come to don the race helmet and take on the character of ‘The Stig’? As he explained to VINWiki, Collins received a call-back from the show’s producer, Andy Wilman, and was tasked with setting hot laps in a Ford Focus. Surprisingly, Collins was only given a one lap tour of the Dunsfold track, which is set out as a figure of 8, and was then given 4 or 5 laps to set the fastest time possible.
After believing he bottled it, one month later he found himself turning up at the test track and slipping into ‘The Stig’s attire. The rest, as they say, is history. During Collins’ time as ‘The Stig’, his purpose was to set the fastest lap times possible in whatever car the trio were reviewing and to partake in any high-performance challenges, such as taking on the German version of Top Gear in a racing Aston Martin DBR9. He was even given public transport to race the trio across London, contrary to ‘The Stigs’ ethos. There were a handful of times Collins appeared as himself on the show, before he was cast in the role, during and even once after. His last appearance without the white helmet and overalls was in one of Hammond's film about a team of amputees who were preparing to take on the Dakar. Collins featured as a driving instructor for the team to help prepare them for the rally.
Why Did Ben Collins Leave Top Gear?
Like all good things, Ben Collins’ tenure as ‘The Stig’ had to come to an end. As expected, the press spent their time trying to uncover the identity behind the racing helmet, and leaks from various sources started to suggest Collins’ name. News then broke from The Daily Telegraph that Ben Collins was, in fact, the man in the white overalls. The secret was out.
Collins then made the conscious decision to reveal himself to be ‘The Stig’ in a now famous book, The Man In The White Suit. As he explains, it became increasingly risky for people in his inner circle not to know who he was; understandable given the unpredictable shooting schedule Top Gear had. Once his identity was revealed, Collins left the show after nearly 10 years as ‘The Stig’ and the mantle was then passed to another unidentified driver. Though Collins retired the overalls, the legend of ‘The Stig’ lives on.
What Other Performance Driving Has The Ex-Stig Done?
Truth be told, driving for Top Gear was not the only source of high-performance driving that Ben Collins had partaken in. His CV is mightily impressive as Collins is not only a motorsport driver, but he is also a stunt driver for Hollywood films. Most recently, Collins starred in Ford v Ferrari and drove the supercar Ford GT40s in some of the films’ racing sequences. In a ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ moment, he can even be spotted on camera playing ‘Denny Hulme’; one of Ken Miles’ co-drivers at the Le Mans race.
Other films Ben Collins has driven for include The Dark Knight, Casino Royale, Skyfall, Spectre, and the most recent Bond flick No Time To Die. Our most favorite piece of stunt driving from Collins, though, is without a doubt his work in the 2008 Bond film Quantum of Solace. There, Collins doubled for 007 himself, Daniel Craig, as he took the controls of Bond’s Aston Martin DBS sports car.
The opening car chase is truly breathtaking to watch. Collins masterfully speeds the DBS through Italian tunnels, up mountain roads and through a busy quarry, all the while the DBS is getting shot and crashed about. Seeing crew members take hammers and tools to the bodywork of the stunningly beautiful Aston Martin made Collins recoil with shock, understandable given his gearhead nature. The result is a display of some truly masterful driving by the man who once donned the white suit for Top Gear.
What Does The Former Stig From Top Gear Do Now?
Now though, aside from investing in appreciating cars and classics and continuing to work on movie productions, Collins spends his time building his YouTube channel (‘Ben Collins Drives’) where he reviews various performance cars. It’s a truly brilliant channel as we are treated to some incredible driving from Collins himself, and also his personal and technical thoughts on the car he is testing; something viewers were never previously treated to.
It's safe to say Ben Collins will go down as one of the most legendary drivers in recent memory; a driver who has a varied set of skills, from movie production sets to motorsport racing. His time on Top Gear will remain iconic, both for bringing understated humor and for some of the best driving to ever be captured on film.
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