9th Sep 10
Stig sacked after revealing identity
by Adam Richards
The Stig has been sacked from the popular show Top Gear, after he took off the white helmet and revealed himself to be driver Ben Collins. Mr Collins had been with the show for the past seven years, and it is alleged that he decided to take off the mask at this time due to a pending book deal about the programme with HarperCollins, from which he has received a £250,000 advance.
Jeremy Clarkson, the star of the show, said that he feels incredibly betrayed by Mr Collins and the fact that he decided to let his identity be known. He added that there were numerous times over the course of the past seven years when the two were working together that they met for drinks, and now finds out that Mr Collins was writing a book the whole time, which makes him feel very hurt.
Mr Collins is not the first Stig to reveal his identity, as the man he replaced, Perry McCarthy, took off the Stig mask in 2003. Mr McCarthy, known as ‘the black Stig’, said after his departure from the show that the producers want to keep the identity of the Stig anonymous because it allows them to pay the actor a reduced salary.
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