How well known is the Stig to the non-TG viewing public?

edkwon

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The question is: for the general UK tv watching public who DONT watch TG or really care much about car programs, how well known recognizable/iconic is the Stig character? So for example, in the London challenge film where the Stig has to take public transportation, do a lot of the random public go 'oh hey, its that weird helmeted quiet from that car show on BBC2 that my bf/husband/gf always talks about' or is the Stig a pretty obscure thing as far as non Top Gear fans are concerned.

As an extreme comparison, a lot of ppl remember Henry Winkler as 'The Fonz' from Happy Days even if they have never seen an episode of the show in their life.
 
I don't think hes that famous with viewers that don't watch. He's popular with us because we do watch it.

For regular folks maybe they think that he is just some cartoon character or something
 
nah i don't think people really know him. I got one of my friends to watch top gear for the first time and afterwards she was talking to me about some sort of spaceman!
 
My mum knows of the stig. :D:p:D:p
 
I'm waiting for someone to make a [mock] behind the scenes look at the Stig :D Perhaps a short animation?

I can imagine if Jeremy made it, it'd start with him and Richard (and Jason?) going to a pet store and picking him out from a litter of other Stigs by showing different toy cars and seeing the reaction (Stig grunting and pointing at all the supercars) :lol:
 
They call me the Stig at work... but that's cause two of the other managers watch the show on BBC Am.
 
i highly doubt that most of the world knows about the stig.....yet;)
 
No one where i am from knows about the stig except a few mates and me. I am often using "our tame xxxx-ing xxx-er" phrases but nobody picks up on them.
 
I think a lot of people at least know the name. I was in Manchester yesterday and on the motorway was a filthy van with "I AM THE STIG" written in huge letters in the dirt on the back.
 
i love it when someone gets my "i am the stig". obviously, finding a top gear fan in the united states is a rarity. as far as i know, there were maybe 6 people that "got it" while i was in school (raleigh, nc). i've only come across 1 person in fayetteville, nc who knew about the stig.

i think the reason more people are familiar with the show is raleigh as compared to fayetteville has alot to do with a few things:
1. nc state university has an undergrad population of 34,000+.
2. ncsu is focused on engineering, textiles, manufacturing, agriculture, computer sciences, and other non-liberal arts majors. i've found that alot of engineers dig cars (makes sense).
3. raleigh is a much more affluent area than fayetteville. therefore, there are a shitton of nicer cars, especially exotics, in raleigh. obviously, if people are willingly and able to buy particular types of vehicles, they probably dig cars.
 
While at work, two people mentioned something about my "I AM THE STIG" shirt. One guy being a BMW enthusist, and another a woman from the UK visiting her relatives for the holidays. She knew a bit about TG since she mentioned the Dunsfold Aerodrome but was sorta behind on the news since she mentioned that Hammond was in a major accident (like 6 months later). I guess they never had a huge news story about him getting better but had a big one on him getting injured. These two people came in within like 10 minutes of each other. The Stig is a pretty recognizable character.
 
i saw a a person in the stig outfit (not full white but some cheap variations) and about two pics of people in the stig outfits for halloween. and this is america we are talking about so....
 
Well id say hes only recosnisable if you have seen atleast one show. Or the new clarkson DVD. Apart from that all those people on the train were just seeing the cameras and thinking, ooooh its something for T.V.
 
i love it when someone gets my "i am the stig". obviously, finding a top gear fan in the united states is a rarity. as far as i know, there were maybe 6 people that "got it" while i was in school (raleigh, nc). i've only come across 1 person in fayetteville, nc who knew about the stig.

i think the reason more people are familiar with the show is raleigh as compared to fayetteville has alot to do with a few things:
1. nc state university has an undergrad population of 34,000+.
2. ncsu is focused on engineering, textiles, manufacturing, agriculture, computer sciences, and other non-liberal arts majors. i've found that alot of engineers dig cars (makes sense).
3. raleigh is a much more affluent area than fayetteville. therefore, there are a shitton of nicer cars, especially exotics, in raleigh. obviously, if people are willingly and able to buy particular types of vehicles, they probably dig cars.

I live one state further south and the only people that I know of that are at all familiar with Top Gear (not to even mention the Stig) are me, my friends, and anyone we have introduced to the show. I would be thrilled to run into someone else here who is familiar with Top Gear (who wasn't introduced to show by me or my friends). Though, In some ways I like it like that because it feels like its a show that really belongs to me (even though millions watch world round) because it's not something readily available in the U.S and it's rare to find another fan that you did not create yourself. :D
 
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