Motoring legend Jeremy Clarkson has finally solved one of the auto world’s greatest mysteries, revealing the true identities of Top Gear’s Stigs – including the last one.
Speaking at a special event, the Clarkson’s Farm star and former Top Gear frontman spilled the beans that racing ace Phil Keen was the man behind the iconic white helmet in later series.
Fans had already known Perry McCarthy as the original Stig after his fake ‘death’ on the show back in 2002, and Ben Collins outed himself as the man in white by penning an autobiography The Man in the White Suit released in 2010.
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The shrouded figure continued to captivate viewers even after Collins’ exit, blazing across screens until Clarkson and his co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May left in 2015 and subsequently during the show’s reinvention up until its curtain call in 2022.
(Image: GB News)
While fans mulled over the mystery, chattering feverishly on social media about who could be the anonymous racer, no official revelation broke the silence until now. At a buzzing Q&A at his Diddly Squat Farm in Chipping Norton, hosted to mark The Grand Tour’s tear-jerking final One for the Road episode showcased on Prime Video, Clarkson laid all cards on the table.
As the event neared its climax, a voice from the audience inquired, “who was the original Stig”. Quick off the mark, Clarkson declared: “The original Stig was Perry McCarthy, followed by Ben Collins. Followed by Phil Keen.”
He then clarified, “There isn’t a current Top Gear, so there isn’t a current Stig. But the last one was Phil Keen.”, reports the Express.
(Image: (Image: Getty))
Phil Keen, a 40-year-old British motorsport star, has been competing in GT cars for two decades and has an impressive track record.
He’s finished as runner-up three times in the British GT championship and holds the record for the most wins in the series, with 24 victories under his belt.
Keen also enjoys historic racing and has previously taken the wheel of various classic cars at the Goodwood Revival.
His repertoire includes handling a stunning Lotus 30, Lister Knobbly and Jaguar E-Type.
Clarkson officially confirmed Keen as The Stig, over eight years after Matt Le Blanc nearly let the cat out of the bag following the show’s reboot.
The speculation began when the actor started following the racing star on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, shortly after filming commenced.
Rumours only intensified when ex-presenter Rory Reid also began following Keen’s social media accounts.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
