THE OG STIG
Who is Perry McCarthy? Meet the ex-F1 racing driver and first Stig on Top Gear
Perry reveals the creepy name that Stig was nearly called
BACK in the days when Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May hosted Top Gear they were joined every week by a mystery character.
For years people tried to guess who was The Stig, before he was revealed to be legendary F1 racer Perry McCarthy
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Who is Perry McCarthy?
Born on March 3, 1961, Perry McCarthy is a former F1 racing driver and TV star best known for playing The Stig on Top Gear.
Despite having to be silent for years playing the mute character, the star is now a top after-dinner speaker where he talks about his experience in the motor industry.
Perry's career change may surprise some fans, as his original role required no speaking at all as Stig was famously silent.
In an interview with the , he said: "I'm an ex-formula-one racing-driver and I was the original Stig on BBC Top Gear.
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"What I do now is talk about all my experiences as a racing driver, coming through the attitudes that are necessary and I provide those via, hopefully, an amusing speech, business speech or a motivational speech.
"With my career, believe me, you needed to be motivated."
Although Perry played such a serious role in his BBC days, he insists that humour has "played a very big role" in his career and enjoys uplifting others.
The former F1 star previously said that he is a "comedian locked inside a racing driver's body".
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When was Perry McCarthy a Formula 1 racing driver and which team did he race for?
Unlike most Formula One drivers, Perry did not start racing in karts.
Instead he worked his way through the junior categories of motor sport in Europe, such as Formula Ford, Formula 3, and eventually F3000.
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Perry then drove for the Andrea Moda team in Formula One in 1992.
He then made the switch to racing sportscars, and took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times between 1996 and 2003.
When did Perry McCarthy perform the role of The Stig on Top Gear?
Perry played the role of The Stig on Top Gear from 2002 until 2003.
In the original BBC One series, he test-drove cars, set lap times and trained up celebrities (off camera) for the Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car segment.
The fact The Stig was a professional racing driver meant viewers could not quibble over whether he was qualified to set the bar for the presenters and guests.
Perry once revealed how he had some reservations when it came to playing the original The Stig.
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The character was almost called "the Gimp", implying BDSM undertones - but Perry objected to the name.
However, original Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson' changed the name to "Stig", which was what they called new boys at the private school he attended.
In the original Top Gear series, the Stig test-drove cars, set lap times and trained up celebrities for segments.
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There was even speculation of celebrities being hidden under the helmet, including Lewis Hamilton.
Ben Collins took over the role of The Stig, when Perry left Top Gear.
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