We saw this one coming; the BBC has apparently sacked The Stig. Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid reports that the Stig, a.k.a. Ben Collins, has been let go and that a new Stig has already replaced him on Top Gear. In fact, the Mirror says it already have pics of the new Stig at a Nürburgring track event, wearing the signature white coveralls and smoked visor helmet. How does the paper know it's not Collins in the photos? Simple: it had another photographer at Ben's house – 1,100 miles away – watching Collins play with his children at the same time.

The firing of the Stig comes a week after a battle erupted over Collins' autobiography, slated for release in September. Details about the Stig's true identity have been trickling out for some time, including the recent discovery that Collins Auto-Sport, a company owned and operated by Ben Collins, claimed income from "driving services for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme."

Of course, this could still just be speculation, and TG may have hired another driver just for that one track event. If Collins has indeed been canned and the show follows form, a segment will be filmed showing the demise of the white Stig and the appearance of his replacement. At least that's what they did when the original black-clad Stig, Perry McCarthy, left the show. Wonder what colors the new Stig will fly...

[Source: The Daily Mirror]