BBC loses court battle; The Stig’s identity presumably revealed

The BBC has failed to halt the publication of a planned memoir by a former Formula Three driver who claims to be Top Gear’s the Stig.

The High Court in London refused to grant an injunction against HarperCollins of an autobiography written by Ben Collins. The BBC had launched legal action last week, arguing the book would breach confidentiality obligations.

Several British publications had already speculated that Collins was the Stig, who wears a white racing uniform and does racing test runs for the BBC Two show, based on financial records from his company.

When the BBC began to seek the injunction, officials with HarperCollins accused executives of wasting taxpayers’ licence fees on attempting to keep The Stig’s identity secret. However, representative of the BBC cited confidentiality statements signed by Top Gear talent and staff and said that such a revelation violates copyright.

Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman said in a blog post on the show’s website last week that the rights to The Stig belong to the licence payers, “not to some opportunists who think they can come along and take a slice when they feel like it.”

The whole point of the Stig is the mystique – the bizarre characteristics he has, the wonderment created about what he might think, feel, do or look like. Kids adore the conceit, and I believe adults, although they know it’s a man in a suit (or is it?), gladly buy into the whole conceit because they find it entertaining.

Collins, who has not been officially verified by the BBC as The Stig, presumably took over the role in 2003 after the original “black” Stig, driver Perry McCarthy, also outed himself in an autobiography.

To see immediate reaction to the news from within British entertainment (including Jonathan Ross’ Tweet that he himself is actually the Stig) check out my British TV Twitter list.