View Full Version : Well suprise suprise...Stig news
Well it appears that Ben 'The Ex-Stig' Collins will now be entertaining us on Fith gear. Oh joy, and i bet they are going to rub it in like you cant believe. So we are going to have 4 'Race drives' on one show...oh the Ego's.
Tiff is still a legend. I will never forget him doing a full 360 degree spin in a Lotus 340 whilst talking to camera :)
Sorry I can't divulge. Sworn to secrecy and all that. Sure you understand. lol
metalangel
05-10-10, 09:48 AM
Tiff is still a legend. I will never forget him doing a full 360 degree spin in a Lotus 340 whilst talking to camera :)
While TALKING in that really annoying and disjointed WAY that he always DOES where he just rambles ON and on putting far TOO MUCH emphasis on random words in each SENTENCE.
Just drive, it's what you're good at.
Can't STAND Tiff Needell! Its the "Look how Great I AM Show"!
Whist the top gear crew come over as always having a good time, the do it in a way where you know the show comes first.
In 5th gear it seems that the "having a good time" comes first. Tiff "Just wait till I finish this power slide so everyone thinks I'm fantastic and then I'll get back to you with the presenting" Needell.
... and he ALWAYS has that smug grin you just want to slap.
He's the kind of guy where you are just WILLING with all your might that he crashes. :)
Supervox
05-10-10, 11:15 AM
Well it appears that Ben 'The Ex-Stig' Collins will now be entertaining us on Fith gear. Oh joy, and i bet they are going to rub it in like you cant believe. So we are going to have 4 'Race drives' on one show...oh the Ego's.
Tiff is still a legend. I will never forget him doing a full 360 degree spin in a Lotus 340 whilst talking to camera :)
They can't go too far with it or TG will just respond with something along the lines of "proof that it's a 2nd rate show as they use our cast-offs" !!
BTW Tiff may be a legend in your opinion, but he's a complete pillock in mine ! I'll never forget him dropping a brand spanking new Gixxer 1000 on some gravel whilst filming a promo at the Suzuki Day at Brands Hatch a few years ago - then throwing a complete hissy fit and demanding that the film (yes, it was when they still used film !!) must be removed immediately and destroyed before any re-shoot took place.
To top it all off he then turned to all of us watching and 'ordered' us to stop laughing or he'd have us thrown out (we didn't - he didn't) !
AFAIK they never did get to film that segment that day - for some strange reason everyhere Tiff & the film crew went to attempt it, a crowd turned up and started chanting something about him being into 'self-abuse' !
arenalife
05-10-10, 01:25 PM
He's a pretty boring looking chap and his real voice might be like Wurzel Gummidge (he is from the West Country). The character is the excitement, TG will be looking for even a hint of copying of that and will rip their legal borrocks off.
Saw a report about this in the paper on sunday, it said that he would be appearing with and without the helmet, can't see the beeb taking too kindly if he appears as 'the stig' or similar.
tigersaw
05-10-10, 02:51 PM
Its always the bit I whizz past, I don't give a stuff how fast a car can go round a circuit.
I had the pleasure of meeting Tiff last year in a non-motoring context (party). Seemed like a nice chap, I've always liked him on the telly anyway.
Bluepete
05-10-10, 04:15 PM
I would love to meet Tiff, I drive fast cars for a living and do ok, if I do say so myself, but Tiff is just so smooth and experienced.
I'd love to be able to drive like him.
HOWEVER, 5th gear will always be 2nd rate to Top Gear.
If VBH squeals in this new series, I swear, I'll find her and - well, do something worse than tickle her that's for sure! Remember her taking her mother on a track in a supercar?
"Mummy, mummy, faster, ooooohhhhhhhhh" etc.
Brick, head; head, brick...
Pete ;)
MR UKI (1)
05-10-10, 08:01 PM
I've got a picture of me meeting Tiff at Oulton BTCC a fair few years ago when he was driving for Nissan. He was a top bloke, but I was young and impressionable :D
Best thing was, my dad and I were sat in a grandstand at the corner right next door to the Vauxhall hospitality unit and Tiff came round on a quad bike with his Nissan emblazoned race suit on doing donuts right outside the unit to wind up John Cleland (Vauxhall driver). They had a good 5 minute micky taking session, Tiff still on quad bike. All in good humor though. Was really funny :D
metalangel
06-10-10, 06:30 AM
One of James May's shirts has more charisma than the entire Fifth Gear bunch put together.
And Sabine Schmitz would kick VBH's butt!
I reckon they should do a shoot out...
metalangel
06-10-10, 10:14 AM
Jeremy and Tiff would have a fistfight, VBH would drool over Hamster (or vice versa) and Captain Slow would be trying to distance himself from those other mooks from Fifth Gear who aren't even memorable.
VBH can drive better than half of you can probably talk.
Tiff may be arrogent, but thats what racing drivers are. He can drive bloody well, and thats why i like 5th gear, as it drives. And as for powerslides, your telling me that egotistical big headed pillock Clarkson isn't exactly the same..... :lol: Hokaayyyyy........
Yes he has attitude, but he deserves to. He can drive better than any of those TG wannabies, and thats what he's there for, to test cars. Plato is just as arrogent, but a better TV personality. Now go look at his earlier years in BTCC and tell me he wasn't a nasty little arrogent sod. He's just got better at it, where-as Tiff is old and set in his ways.
tigersaw
06-10-10, 11:18 AM
5th gear used to be a really good format, back in the 1 hour studio based episodes with the leather sofas. It went downhill with the ace cafe series and then the last dire series was just a 30 minute magazine.
Hopefully it might pick up now
metalangel
06-10-10, 11:44 AM
VBH can drive better than half of you can probably talk.
You could be the best driver in the world but if you're not charismatic and likeable, you're a crappy host and nobody will want to watch your car show.
If this was the case, 5th Gear would have died years ago.
but the fact its been on for many many years says that the viewing ratings are still high, thus proving you wrong :P :lol:
gruntygiggles
06-10-10, 02:18 PM
I just find it funny that he's going on 5th gear and they are using it so blatantly in all their ads. It's not even like they are saying, "And with new presenter, Ben Collins, formerly The Stig". They are only refering to him as the stig...lol. I think it's a bit of a slap in the face for Collins, but I don't really care, he created the situation.
5th gear is ok. I watch it occasionally, enjoy the cars, learn a bit, but it doesn't do for me what TG does...and that is make me look forward to the next show.
One of James May's shirts has more charisma than the entire Fifth Gear bunch put together.
And Sabine Schmitz would kick VBH's butt!
I missed this..
Sabine is superb at the ring.
VBH is a proffessional ex rallycar driver.
Plato is a multiple BTCC champ and formar WTCC race winner.
Tiff used to race at LeMans..
Now, lets check TG.
JC - Driven lots of cars, bu by his own admission, can't drive fast for toffee.
Hamster, no experience until he came to TG
James May, gets sent on fast car training as part of the program.
I like the TG as a program, but as a car review show, its awful. And just recently, its got worse and worse.
Bluepete
06-10-10, 03:42 PM
I like the TG as a program, but as a car review show, its awful. And just recently, its got worse and worse.
And that's the whole point.
It's no longer a car review show. It's entertainment with cars in there.
as for Sabine, she can spank me around the ring any time :smt026
Pete ;)
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