EXCLUSIVE: Top Gear’s The Stig has spoken exclusively to Daily Star about his time on the motor show and how hard it was to keep his identity a secret…
The Stig’s iconic Top Gear suit couldn’t hide one thing that gave his identity away.
Driving legend Perry McCarthy, who played the original Stig from 2002 to 2003, has admitted there was something the Top Gear outfit simply couldn’t hide, so anyone that knew him personally had a good idea of who was under the suit.
In an exclusive chat with Daily Star, Perry told us: “Harry Enfield guessed! Jay Kay, Ross Kemp and Jamie Oliver actually knew me already so they guessed as soon as they heard my voice.”
“I’ve also got bow legs and I always used to stand at the side of racing circuits with my arms crossed, so they knew right away!”
“We went to very big lengths to keep [my identity] a secret. There were security gates at the edge of the test track and I would arrive with my Stig helmet already on, not even security saw my face.”
“We had a lot of celebs on the show and I would put on a French accent to throw them off and pretend English wasn’t my first language. I was often giggling to myself behind my helmet.”
Perry worked closely with Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May and fondly recalled working with former motor journalist Clarkson: “I’m in constant awe of Jeremy’s talent. He can juxtapose a moment to make it poignant and comedic.”
“He’s an incredibly talented writer and broadcaster. He almost relishes controversy and there’s bravery to that. He has a lot of attributes that I admire.”
“I don’t agree with everything he says. Jeremy also doesn’t just laugh at his own jokes. He will give you credit. He’s a strong personality so if you had an idea to put across, you needed to come with the full information and do a bloody good job to convince him.”
Despite this, Perry said that he “never butted heads” with the Top Gear frontman: “Never. I had no cause to.”
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