How Much Longer Will The Stig Survive On Top Gear?
Is The Stig going to become extinct?
In my last article I mentioned that The Stig is slowly getting phased out of Top Gear.
The nameless and faceless racing driver was used profusely during Top Gear from 2002 alongside Clarkson, Hammond and May. He (or it) was used for setting lap times during both challenges and when setting lap times of cars on the Top Gear Test Track, and even took part in races from time to time. But since the trio left the show, The Stig has been used less and less.
Since the likes of Leblanc, Harris and Reed took over the show, The Stig has certainly taken a back seat. No longer does he teach the celebrities how to get the best lap time - that responsibility is now Chris Harris' with a lot of the teaching being televised.
So far, The Stig has barely been used in the new Top Gear with his main use only being the setting of power-laps. I don't know about you, but I think this is a massive mistake by the BBC and/or the makers of Top Gear.
While The Stig didn't speak a word, he became an icon of the Top Gear branding. He became a legend not because of the racing driver beneath the suit, but because we respected his immense driving skill. We've seen from The Grand Tour that a named driver isn't quite the same, as we can compare them to every other driver in the world. The Stig couldn't be compared, and therefore became almost God-like in that sense.
There's only one question that we're left with, then. How long will The Stig remain on Top Gear? I have a feeling not too much longer...
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Comments (6)
I want it to go cos Top Gear doesn't deserve it.
But I don't want it to go cos it's a legend!!
At least in the French version of Top Gear, the Stig appears unexpectedly during circuit tests or road trips.
Has he finally got a new job with Amazon
I mean, the show is trying to reinvent itself to distance themselves from the old show. In the first series, when they were more like the old show, people complained. So they changed the presenters, changed the studio, changed the format (I notice it's more car based than banter based), so they are getting rid of the Stig, because he was synonymous with old TG.
The BBC is recently well known for making massive mistakes concerning Top Gear...