Top Gear is over for another series :(

 

Yup - it's the "end of the road" for the time being......................

One of the best series from Top Gear. Great entertainment. Till the Autumn, I hope!

They didn't mention the next series, I'm hoping it'll be Autumn because Tv is soo crap ATM.

That Ferrari 458 is one sexy car:cool:

Was a bit gutting seeing the old TVR factory though :sad:

They didn't mention the next series, I'm hoping it'll be Autumn because Tv is soo crap ATM.

 

Based on previous years, the new series will more than likely be in November/December time. 4 weeks of "the best of" episodes to follow in the next few weeks.

 

TV is crap ATM because it's summer, and the TV companies want to save programes til the autumn when people ain't flying around the world on holiday

The Stig has never removed his helmet on the show

 

Stig wrangle continues in private

 

A court case to prevent the identity of Top Gear's The Stig from being revealed is to continue being heard in private. The judge at the High Court said the case should proceed behind closed doors, as publicity would defeat the purpose of the hearing.

 

The BBC began legal action last week to block HarperCollins from publishing an autobiography which would unmask the character. It says the planned book would breach confidentiality obligations.

 

Arguing for HarperCollins, Hugh Tomlinson QC said the press and public should be allowed to hear the legal arguments.

 

He added the press could be subject to extensive restrictions to prevent any confidential information being revealed before the conclusion of the case. But Mr Justice Morgan said: "It seems to me that having the hearing in private is a much more effective barrier to information which might in due course be the subject of an injunction passing more widely into the public domain."

 

He said the public interest in "having justice in open court for all to hear" could be dealt with by a public judgment given "in due course".

 

Last week, HarperCollins said it would "vigorously defend" its right to publish the book, adding it was "disappointed that the BBC has chosen to spend licence fee payers' money to suppress this book".

 

However Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman attacked the publisher, writing on the Top Gear website that the BBC had a right to protect Stig's anonymity "from a bunch of chancers" who were "hoping to cash in on it".

 

The BBC has never confirmed the identity of The Stig - who test drives cars on the show. It maintains that unmasking him would spoil viewers' enjoyment.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11139252

^His identity was revealed online just a couple of weeks ago. I'd never heard of him.:dozey:

Ben Collins?

 

He might be one of the stigs

Be interesting to hear Clarkson's "Some say"s next series...

Be interesting to see what colour they make the new stig, and how they 'kill' off the white-stig

BBC loses Top Gear court battle which means we can reveal that racing driver Ben Collins really IS The Stig

 

 

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 5:29 PM on 1st September 2010

 

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The High Court today refused to grant a temporary injunction preventing the revelation of the identity of Top Gear's The Stig as Ben Collins.

The BBC had taken legal action to block HarperCollins' publication of the 35-year-old's autobiography which would unmask the mystery racing driver.

It claimed he is bound by a confidentiality agreement and that revealing who he is would spoil viewers' enjoyment of the popular BBC Two programme.

 

 

 

Mystery man: Ben Collins, pictured leaving the High Court today, right, was revealed as The Stig last month

 

 

The driver's identity has long been a closely guarded show secret, spawning T-shirts emblazoned with slogans such as 'My Dad is The Stig'.

Only executives and Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are said to know the identity of The Stig, famous for racing cars on the show wearing white overalls and a blacked-out visa.

 

However, many viewers may already have a good idea about who he is after a company owned by Mr Collins, a stuntman from Bristol, published accounts listing 'driving services provided for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme'.

After more than a day of legal submissions in private before Mr Justice Morgan in London, lawyers for HarperCollins emerged today to say the case had concluded in their favour.

Solicitor Robin Shaw said: 'The judge has said he is not going to grant an injunction in this case.

 

Petrol heads: The Stig with the rest of the Top Gear crew, from left, Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson

 

'Reasons are to follow and will be given in a private judgment.'

Mr Collins was in court for part of today's hearing.

 

A spokesman for the BBC said today's judgment did not prevent it from pursuing the matter to a full trial of the issues.

Several racing drivers have been linked to the role, including former Formula One world champions Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher and - most recently - Mr Collins, who was a stunt double for James Bond.

The current Stig is the second in the role. The first Stig, Perry McCarthy, was dropped in 2003 after his identity was uncovered.

HarperCollins communications director Siobhan Kenny said later: 'This is a victory for freedom of speech.

 

'Ben Collins has a great story to tell about his seven years as The Stig which will appeal to a wide audience beyond the world of motoring enthusiasts. The book will be published on September 16.'

 

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1308015/Ben-Collins-The-Stig-BBC-loses-battle-blocking-Top-Gear-driver.html#ixzz0yJIgLfQd

BBC loses Top Gear court battle which means we can reveal that racing driver Ben Collins really IS The Stig

 

 

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 5:29 PM on 1st September 2010

 

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The High Court today refused to grant a temporary injunction preventing the revelation of the identity of Top Gear's The Stig as Ben Collins.

The BBC had taken legal action to block HarperCollins' publication of the 35-year-old's autobiography which would unmask the mystery racing driver.

It claimed he is bound by a confidentiality agreement and that revealing who he is would spoil viewers' enjoyment of the popular BBC Two programme.

 

 

 

Mystery man: Ben Collins, pictured leaving the High Court today, right, was revealed as The Stig last month

 

 

The driver's identity has long been a closely guarded show secret, spawning T-shirts emblazoned with slogans such as 'My Dad is The Stig'.

Only executives and Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are said to know the identity of The Stig, famous for racing cars on the show wearing white overalls and a blacked-out visa.

 

However, many viewers may already have a good idea about who he is after a company owned by Mr Collins, a stuntman from Bristol, published accounts listing 'driving services provided for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme'.

After more than a day of legal submissions in private before Mr Justice Morgan in London, lawyers for HarperCollins emerged today to say the case had concluded in their favour.

Solicitor Robin Shaw said: 'The judge has said he is not going to grant an injunction in this case.

 

Petrol heads: The Stig with the rest of the Top Gear crew, from left, Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson

 

'Reasons are to follow and will be given in a private judgment.'

Mr Collins was in court for part of today's hearing.

 

A spokesman for the BBC said today's judgment did not prevent it from pursuing the matter to a full trial of the issues.

Several racing drivers have been linked to the role, including former Formula One world champions Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher and - most recently - Mr Collins, who was a stunt double for James Bond.

The current Stig is the second in the role. The first Stig, Perry McCarthy, was dropped in 2003 after his identity was uncovered.

HarperCollins communications director Siobhan Kenny said later: 'This is a victory for freedom of speech.

 

'Ben Collins has a great story to tell about his seven years as The Stig which will appeal to a wide audience beyond the world of motoring enthusiasts. The book will be published on September 16.'

 

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1308015/Ben-Collins-The-Stig-BBC-loses-battle-blocking-Top-Gear-driver.html#ixzz0yJIgLfQd

 

Helps making it so people can read the text :P

Stig the SAS hero: Top Gear driver's military past revealed (as well as his identity)

 

 

By Paul Revoir and Beth Hale

Last updated at 2:37 PM on 2nd September 2010

 

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The driver revealed to be The Stig from BBC's Top Gear is a former specialist SAS driving instructor who trained servicemen in the art of 'high-speed escape and evade tactics'.

Ben Collins was unmasked yesterday when he won the right to publish his autobiography after seven years as Top Gear's mysterious driving expert.

But as details of his former life in the military became public, BBC chiefs were expected to end his involvement in the hit TV Series.

 

 

 

Mystery: Ben Collins, at the High Court yesterday, right, was revealed as The Stig last month and unveiled today as a former member of the SAS

 

The High Court case has also cast doubt on whether the character will reappear at all in the next series of the programme, played by a different driver.

A decision on whether The Stig will be axed altogether is expected in the next two months but is unlikely to be announced before the series starts in December.

 

More...

 

 

• RICHARD O'HAGAN: Psst - we know who The Stig is - but we don't care
  
• Ryder Cup golf TV coverage in chaos as thousands of BBC workers vote for strike
  

 

Collins, 35, was part of the renowned 23 SAS, the regiment of highly-trained reservists, where he acted as a driving instructor, having previously trained in hand-to-hand combat.

'We've known he was The Stig all along - it has been a standing joke within the regiment. He worked as a course instructor in Hereford,' a member of the group told the Sun.

HarperCollins, who will publish the book this month, said in a statement after court: 'This is a victory for freedom of speech.

'Ben Collins has a great story to tell about his seven years as The Stig which will appeal to a wide audience beyond the world of motoring enthusiasts.

'The book, titled The Man in the White Suit, will be published on September 16.'

 

Petrol heads: The Stig with the rest of the Top Gear crew, from left, Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson

 

Mr Collins, who has acted as Daniel Craig's stunt double in one James Bond film, was named as a possible Stig last year after a builder claimed to have seen the distinctive white outfit at the driver's Bristol home.

Speculation intensified recently after the accounts of his company, Collins Autosport, were found to list 'driving services provided for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme'.

The company recorded a ' cornerstone year' in December 2003, a month after The Stig's first appearance on TV.

The BBC remained determined to protect the identity of its Stig, even though taking the fight to court may have cost up to £100,000.

Bosses say revealing who he is would spoil viewers' enjoyment of the popular programme.

After the attempt to win an injunction failed, a spokesman said: 'The Top Gear audience has always made it clear they enjoyed the mystery around the identity of The Stig. The BBC felt it important to protect that anonymity.

'The BBC brought this action as we believe it is vital to protect the character of The Stig, which ultimately belongs to the licence-fee payer.'

Sources suggested that the BBC was unlikely to appeal yesterday's decision. When the identity of the first incarnation of The Stig, who wore a black suit, was revealed as Perry McCarthy, he was 'killed off'.

Top Gear bosses are now deciding whether to introduce a new Stig - in a different coloured suit - or not bring him back at all.

The BBC refused to rule anything out, saying it would not talk about plans for the next series yet.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1308275/Ben-Collins-The-Stig-Top-Gear-driver-revealed-SAS-hero.html#ixzz0yPda1vHs

Shall we have a little game in trying to predict how they are going to kill of the white stig?

 

And what colour the new stig will be

New Stig will be bright yellow with pink polka dots

I think it'll be a dark blue Stig, and he'll be killed in a fight with Rubens Barrichello :P

And all this time everyone thought it was Michael Schumacher :laugh3:

Theres a guy called Ben collins in the year below me :stunned:

They better get a new Stig :whip:

I know who the new Stig is

 

 

It's James May

 

bet him round the head with his autobiography.

 

new stig will be red.

Make me the Stig for Comedy purposes :D

Hammond wouldn't look quite so short no more

Don't worry, she's not really The Stig: Tracey Emin carried to her car... after posing as racing driver at GQ Awards

 

 

By Simon Cable

Last updated at 9:29 PM on 8th September 2010

 

 

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She has tamed her hellraising ways in recent years. But Tracey Emin staged a spectacular return to her old form at an awards ceremony.

The artist was left barely able to stand after making the most of the free champagne and vodka cocktails at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in London on Tuesday.

The evening ended with an undignified exit from the Royal Opera House venue as the 49-year-old was carried to a car by her friend, jewellery designer Stephen Webster.

 

Time to go home: Tracey Emin is loaded into her car after the GQ Men of the Year Awards last night

 

 

 

Shattered: Emin couldn't resist having a little sleep on the way home

 

Slumped across the back seat of her vehicle, Miss Emin appeared oblivious as her dress then slipped down in front of onlookers.

She had arrived at the event dressed as The Stig from Top Gear before taking off her white jumpsuit and crash helmet to reveal a blue Vivienne Westwood cocktail dress.

The artist was at the ceremony to present Doctor Who star Matt Smith with the best actor award.

 

 

 

Carried out: Emin was carried out and put into her car by a male friend

 

 

 

The party's over: Falling out of her dress slumped on the back seat of her car

 

Miss Emin gained a reputation as one of the most controversial of the Young British Artists in the 1990s.

As well as her art, such as her unmade bed, she appeared drunk on live TV, slurring her words and swearing, during a debate about the Turner Prize on Channel 4.

Since then she has struck up close friendships with hard-partying celebrities such as Kate Moss.

Before the drama: Emin looked pretty in a Vivienne Westwood corset dress

 

 

Enjoying herself: Tracey started to lose her composure as the wine began to flow

 

Recently, however, she has claimed to have adopted a cleanliving lifestyle, having quit smoking and cut down on drinking.

She said: 'I swim a mile of backstroke four times a week, and only eat at lunchtime. I did used to be an alcoholic. Now I get drunk when I go out as opposed to getting drunk, staying in on my own.

'My maximum amount of alcohol these days is a bottle and a half of good, white wine. Maybe two, if it's mixed with water. At that point, I usually black out.

 

 

 

It's me! Emin arrived at the event as the Stig before unveiling herself

 

 

 

Presenter: She gave the award for Actor of the Year to Doctor Who's Matt Smith

 

 

'But I've come a long way from the four cans of Stella, one bottle of brandy and anything that I could shove down my gullet in a night.'

 

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1310099/GQ-Awards-2010-Drunken-Tracey-Emin-carried-car.html#ixzz0yyT0PnrC

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn_kLKb32Es]YouTube - James May on The Stig[/ame]

Top Gear feature on American TV programme 60 Minutes.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKwS-7LOAx8]YouTube - Top Gear on 60 Minutes - Oct 24th, 2010[/ame]

Stig Farm

Stig Farm

 

So this is where the new Stig will be chosen from! Nice. But I wonder what they'll do with the current Stig aka Ben Collins. First Stig was driven off an aircraft carrier!