BBC loses legal battle: The Stig's identity & Bond connection confirmed

Ben Collins, 35, plans to publish his autobiography 'The Man in the White Suit' later this month about his seven-year stint as one of television’s most popular figures -- reports the Telegraph.

The BBC was so desperate to protect the character’s anonymity that it spent two days in the High Court and it is thought total legal costs could reach upwards of £100,000.

The High Court on Wednesday refused to grant a temporary injunction banning Mr Collins’s book which is due for release on September 16.

The BBC took legal action to block publication by HarperCollins, claiming that the faceless driver was bound by a confidentiality agreement.

The corporation also claimed that revealing his identity would spoil viewers’ enjoyment of the BBC Two programme, but Mr Justice Morgan rejected the injunction request.

A spokesman for the BBC said the judgement did not prevent it from pursuing the matter to a full trial and bizarrely refused to confirm if Mr Collins was The Stig.

Mr Collins, who lives in Bristol and was a stunt double in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, is thought to have been dumped by the BBC in the mystery role.

After leaving the private hearing he was asked if he had his white helmet with him and said: “You’re trying to tempt me into saying something I shouldn’t.”

The identity of The Stig, who is famous for his race overalls and white helmet, has long been a closely-guarded secret with until recently executives and Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May were said to know who he is.
The current “white” Stig took on the role in 2003 after the original “black” Stig, the racing driver Perry McCarthy, outed himself in an autobiography called Flat Out, Flat Broke and was dropped by the BBC.

Several racing drivers had been linked to the role, including former Formula One world champions Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher
In 2008 Mr Collins, who lives in a £600,000 period property in the Bristol suburb of Redland, denied rumours he was The Stig as “absolute nonsense” but rumours circulated he was the enigmatic driver after his company’s financial reports listed Top Gear among its work.

The court case had been brought by BBC after it became clear that Mr Collins intended to “out himself”. The corporation used some money generated by licence fee payers and BBC Worldwide, the corporation’s commercial moneymaking arm.

Last week HarperCollins criticised the BBC for using taxpayers’ money to “suppress this book” and prevent “the perfectly legitimate right of this individual to tell his story’’.

The comments led Andy Wilman, the boss of Top gear, to defend on his blog the corporation’s “right to spend money on protecting the intellectual property it created”.

Emma Boon, Campaign Manager of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “BBC viewers want their money to be spent on good quality programmes, not on expensive legal proceedings to try and keep secrets.”

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.

Bookmakers are already taking bets on who the next Stig will be Nigel Mansell a favourite at 10/1. The next series of the programme, which is watched by an estimated 350 million people around the world, airs in December.

Jana Bennett, Director of BBC Vision said: “Viewers of Top Gear shouldn’t worry The Stig lives on and will be back in the new year.”

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