Back in the day, when Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May presented Top Gear, each week they were joined by a mysterious character.
For years people tried to guess who The Stig was, before he was revealed as a legendary Formula 1 driver Perry McCarthy
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Who is Perry McCarthy?
Born on March 3, 1961, Perry McCarthy is a former F1 driver and TV star best known for his role as The Stig in Top equipment.
Despite having to remain silent for years to play the mute character, the star is now a keynote speaker at the dinner, where he talks about his experiences in the automotive industry.
Perry's career change may come as a surprise to some fans, as his original role didn't involve speaking at all, with Stig being noticeably silent.
In an interview with the London Speakers Bureauhe said: “I'm a former Formula 1 driver and I was the original Stig on BBC Top Gear.
“What I do now is talk about all my experiences as a driver, putting on the necessary attitudes and hopefully transferring that into a funny speech, a business speech or a motivational speech.
“Believe me, in my career you really needed motivation.”
While Perry played an important role in his time at the BBC, he insists that humour has played a “really big part” in his career and that he enjoys cheering others up.
The former F1 star previously said he is a “comedian trapped in a racing driver's body”.
When was Perry McCarthy a Formula 1 driver and which team did he drive for?
Unlike most Formula 1 drivers, Perry did not start out in karts.
Instead, he worked his way up through the junior categories of motorsport in Europe, such as Formula Ford, Formula 3 and eventually F3000.
Perry then drove for the Andrea Moda team in Formula 1 in 1992.
He then moved on to sports car racing, competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times between 1996 and 2003.
When did Perry McCarthy play The Stig on Top Gear?
Perry played the role of The Stig on Top Gear from 2002 to 2003.
In the original BBC One series he tested cars, set lap times and trained celebrities (off-screen) for the segment Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car.
The fact that The Stig was a professional racing driver meant that viewers were left in no doubt as to whether he was qualified to set the bar high for the presenters and guests.
Perry once said he had reservations about playing the original version of The Stig.
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The character was almost called “the Gimp,” which would indicate BDSM undertones, but Perry objected to the name.
The original Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson' changed his name to “Stig,” the name they gave new boys at the private school he attended.
In the original Top Gear series, the Stig tested cars, set lap times and trained celebrities for certain events.
There was even speculation that celebrities were hidden under the helmet, including Lewis Hamilton.
Ben Collins took over the role of The Stigwhen Perry left Top Gear.
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