Revealed: The Secret Life of the Stig—How Extreme Measures Kept Top Gear’s Biggest Mystery Hidden

Ever tried keeping a secret for more than a week? Ha! Most of us can barely hide a surprise birthday party without blurting out the guest list by accident—imagine spending seven whole years living a double life, shrouded in anonymity, all while the world speculates around you. Ben Collins did just that as the man behind the enigmatic white helmet on Top Gear, hiding his true identity from gossip-hungry fans, castmates with eagle eyes (looking at you, Clarkson), and maybe even nosy neighbors in Bristol. For 101 adrenaline-pumping episodes, Collins practically became an expert in secret-keeping—dodging tricky questions, concocting wild cover stories, and perfecting the art of “schhhtum!” The burning question: how does a person survive being The Stig—and keeping it all under wraps—without bursting from the sheer pressure (or at least accidentally leaving a business card in the glove box)? Curious how this high-octane charade unfolded, why even his own loved ones were left clueless, and what it takes to safeguard TV’s slickest secret? LEARN MORE.

Keeping a secret can be difficult at the best of times, but imagine just how tricky it was to keep schtum about being The Stig for seven years.

It was no easy feat, but Ben Collins managed to get away with it after going to drastic lengths to keep his real identity under wraps from the general public and the trio of presenters on Top Gear.

After taking part in a whopping 101 episodes of the BBC’s hit show, he finally stripped off The Stig’s trademark white suit and helmet to reveal himself in 2010.

The British racing driver, from Bristol, previously revealed that only two people were aware it was him hiding underneath the costume – as even hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May were kept in the dark about his identity.

To avoid detection, he explained that while he was on set for Top Gear, the helmet ‘stayed on the whole day’ to conceal his face.

Ben Collins hid behind the white helmet for seven years (BBC)

In his 2010 book, The Man in the White Suit, Collins explained that he pulled out all the stops to keep the mystery of The Stig a secret – even lying to his loved ones.

He explained he ‘made his own rules’ to ensure his identity would remain confidential, such as never parking in the same spot twice and never discussing his role on the car show with anyone outside of ‘the circle’.

Collins said he would even keep a balaclava on until he was ‘eight miles clear of location and certain that no one was following’.

He wrote: “My golden rule was never to appear in the white suit without my helmet on. I sterilised my gear, left every trace of Ben Collins – my phone, my wallet and so on – locked in the car, then hid the keys.

“I lied to everyone, including my friends and family, about what I was doing.”

The racing driver, 50, also discussed how he would interact with the Top Gear cast and crew without blowing his own cover.

He revealed he went to extreme lengths to keep his identity as The Stig a secret (Foto24/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

“Speaking was allowed, but obviously nothing more than that,” he said in a previous interview with Car Throttle in 2020. “I think I’d been there about a year and still the presenters didn’t know who it was – until we started doing the live shows.”

Collins explained that on one occasion, he was ‘hiding in a motorhome’ waiting to film when Clarkson walked in.

Recalling the moment, the former Stig said: “[He] gave me a look like, ‘Who the hell are you?'”

Although he was obviously in a bit of a panic, Collins kept his cool and informed the TV star that the show’s executive producer Andy Wilman had told him he ‘should sit here’.

But he needn’t have bothered, as when Wilman reappeared, he let the cat out the bag. Collins said: “Wilman had told him, ‘That’s Ben, that’s The Stig – keep a lid on it’.”

After stepping into the shoes of the original Stig – Formula One star Perry McCarthy – in 2003, Collins eventually departed Top Gear in 2010 after seven years.

Racing star Phil Keen took his place until Top Gear went on an indefinite hiatus following Freddie Flintoff’s life-changing crash in December 2022.