Top Gear and the BBC have had plenty of fun with the supposed outing of the Stig as Ben Collins. After the initial report surfaced, the Top Gear website released a half-dozen posts claiming the Stig was everyone from Graham Hill to Barack Obama. Now, in an apparent attempt to keep the viral hype machine chugging along, a new video has surfaced showing the original Black Stig emerging from the watery depths, pausing for a moment and then running a slalom through the nearby pier's uprights.

The video (posted after the break) has a watermark of the website blackstigback.com, which is parked by the UK domain company Easily Limited. At this point, there's nothing on the page, but expect that to be rectified as inbound links go through the roof.

A press release from the Beeb says, "Until now, the original Stig from BBC Top Gear was thought to have been killed back in 2003, when he drove a modified Jaguar XJS off the end of HMS Invincible aircraft carrier at 109mph. The nation was shocked that the Stig was dead. However, recent footage has been found on YouTube showing that he miraculously survived." The release goes on to say, "How he survived, nobody knows. Some believe he used the nitrous octane equipment from the Jag to breathe. Some believe he can communicate with dolphins and they cared for him. Has he returned because he can sense White Stig has had his identity exposed?"

We'd expect this whole mess to be addressed during the next season of Top Gear this June, and we're hoping for a Hot Lap Death Match involving the two Stigs and one Pagani Zonda R.

[Source: Times]