BBC FOUR

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	BBC Two
logosize	200px
logofile	BBC Two.svg
logocaption	BBC Two logo
launch	20 April 1964 based in London
headquarters	BBC Television Centre, London
broadcast area	Nationalwide based in London
picture format	576i (PAL)16:9 SDTV
share	6.6%
share as of	July 2011
share source	BARB
owner	BBC
country	United Kingdom
former names	BBC2 (20 April 1964–3 October 1997)
sister names	BBC OneBBC ThreeBBC FourBBC NewsBBC ParliamentBBC HD
web
terr serv 1	Analogue
terr chan 1	''Normally tuned to 2 (To be phased out nationwide by 2012)''
terr serv 2	Freeview
terr chan 2	Channel 2
sat serv 1	Freesat
sat chan 1	Channel 102Channels 968–971 (regional variations)
sat serv 2	Sky
sat chan 2	Channel 102Channels 989–992 (regional variations)
sat serv 3	Sky (IRL)
sat chan 3	Channel 142
sat serv 4	Astra 2D
sat chan 4	10773H 22000 5/6
cable serv 1	Virgin Media
cable chan 1	Channel 102
cable serv 2	UPC (Republic of Ireland)
cable chan 2	Channel 109
cable serv 3	Ziggo (Netherlands)
cable chan 3	Channel 51
cable serv 4	UPC (Netherlands)
cable chan 4	Channel 51
cable serv 5	Numericable (Belgium)
cable serv 6	Naxoo (Switzerland)
cable chan 6	Channel 214
cable serv 7	Cablecom (Switzerland)
cable chan 7	Channel 156
adsl serv 1	TalkTalk TV
adsl chan 1	Channel 2
adsl serv 2	Belgacom TV(Brussels)
adsl chan 2	Channel 68
adsl serv 3	Belgacom TV(Flanders)
adsl chan 3	Channel 24
adsl serv 4	Belgacom TV(Wallonia)
adsl chan 4	Channel 214
adsl serv 5	Bluewin TV(Switzerland)
online serv 1	BBC Online
online chan 1	Watch live (UK only)
online serv 2	TVCatchup
online chan 2	Watch live(UK only)
online serv 3	BBC iPlayer
online chan 3	Watch live (UK only)

BBC Two is the second television channel of the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio channels, it is commercial-free and yet remains a comparatively well funded public service network, regularly attaining a much higher audience share than most current public service networks worldwide. It was the second British television station to be launched by the BBC (starting on 20 April 1964 based in London), and Europe's first television channel to broadcast regularly in colour, from 1 July 1967, envisaged as a home for less mainstream and more ambitious programming. This tendency has continued to date, though most special-interest programmes of a kind previously broadcast on BBC Two (e.g. BBC Proms concerts) now tend to appear on BBC Four instead.

History

As a result of its criticisms of the populism of ITV, the 1962 Pilkington Report recommended that Britain's third television channel should be awarded to the BBC.

Prior to its launch, BBC2 was promoted on the ''BBC Television Service'' channel soon to be renamed BBC1; the animated adverts featured the campaign mascots "Hullabaloo" (a mother kangaroo) and "Custard" (her joey). Prior to its formal launch (and for several years afterwards) the channel broadcast 'Trade Test Transmissions', short films made externally by companies such as Shell and BP, which served to enable engineers to test reception, but became cult viewing.

The channel was scheduled to begin at 19:20 on 20 April 1964 and show an evening of light entertainment, starting with the comedy show ''The Alberts'', a performance from Soviet comedian Arkady Raikin, and a production of Cole Porter's ''Kiss Me, Kate'', culminating with a fireworks display.

However, at around 18:45 a huge power failure, originating from a fire at Battersea Power Station, caused Television Centre, and indeed much of west London, to lose all power. BBC1 was able to continue broadcasting via its facilities at Alexandra Palace, but all attempts to show the scheduled programmes on the new channel failed. Associated-Rediffusion, the London ITV franchise-holder, offered to transmit on the BBC's behalf, but their gesture was rejected.

However, at 22:00 BBC2 had no choice but to concede defeat and postpone programming until the following morning. As the BBC's news centre at Alexandra Palace was unaffected, they did in fact broadcast brief bulletins on BBC2 that evening, beginning with an announcement by the newsreader Gerald Priestland at around 19:25. There was believed to be no recording ever made of this bulletin, but one was discovered in early 2003.

By 11:00 on 21 April, power had been restored to the studios and programming began, thus making ''Play School'' the first programme to be shown officially on the channel. The launch schedule, postponed from the night before, was then successfully shown that evening, albeit with minor changes. In reference to the power cut, the transmission opened with a shot of a lit candle which was then sarcastically blown out by presenter Denis Tuohy.

To establish the new channel's identity and draw viewers to it, the BBC decided that a widely promoted, lavish series would be essential in its earliest days. The production chosen was ''The Forsyte Saga'', a no-expense-spared adaptation of the novels by John Galsworthy, featuring well-established actors Kenneth More and Eric Porter. Critically for the future of the fledgling channel, the BBC's gamble was hugely successful, with an average of six million viewers tuning in per episode of a total of only 9 million able to receive the channel at the time, and BBC2 was safely established with the public.

Unlike the other channels available at that time (BBC1 and ITV), BBC2 was broadcast only on the 625 line UHF system, so was not available to viewers with 405-line VHF sets. This created a market for dual standard receivers which could switch between the two systems. The early technical problems, which included being unable to transmit US-made videotapes due to a lack of system conversion from the US NTSC system, were resolved by a committee headed by James Redmond.

BBC1 and ITV later joined BBC2 on 625-line UHF but continued to simulcast on 405-line VHF until 1985. On 1 July 1967, BBC2 became the first channel in Europe to begin regular broadcasts in colour, using the PAL system. The thirteen part series ''Civilisation'' was created as a celebration of two millennia of western art and culture to showpiece the new colour technology. BBC1 and ITV simultaneously introduced PAL colour on UHF on 15 November 1969, although they both had broadcast some programmes in colour "unofficially" since at least late 1968.

As the switch to digital-only terrestrial transmission progresses, BBC Two is (in each region in turn) the first analogue TV channel to be replaced with the BBC multiplex, four weeks ahead of the other four channels. This is required for those relay transmitters that have no current Freeview giving viewers time to purchase the equipment, unless they have already selected a satellite or cable service.

Controllers

1964–1965: Michael Peacock

1965–1969: David Attenborough

1969–1974: Robin Scott

1974–1978: Aubrey Singer

1978–1982: Brian Wenham

1982–1987: Graeme MacDonald

1987–1992: Alan Yentob

1992–1996: Michael Jackson

1996–1999: Mark Thompson

1999–2004: Jane Root

2004–2008: Roly Keating

2008–present: Janice Hadlow

Jane Root, who was appointed in 1999 and was the first woman to be appointed controller of a BBC television channel, departed in May 2004 to become the executive vice president and general manager of the US-based Discovery Channel. BBC Two was channel of the year in 2007.

Present and past programmes

Nowadays, new BBC programmes often appear on BBC Two, especially if those behind them have not proven themselves elsewhere. A successful BBC Two programme has often been moved to BBC One, in the manner of ''Have I Got News for You'' and ''Torchwood'' (which was actually moved up to BBC Two from BBC Three). Over its first thirty or so years the channel developed a reputation for screening highly praised and prestigious drama series, amongst these ''Boys from the Blackstuff'' (1982) or 1996's, critically acclaimed ''Our Friends in the North'' ; its "highbrow" profile compared to rivals is also in part attributable to a long history of demanding documentaries of all types, beginning with ''Civilisation'' and ''The Ascent of Man''. Like the early Channel 4, BBC2 also established for itself a reputation as a champion of independent and international cinema, under the name ''Screen 2''.

The channel has sometimes been judged in more recent years increasingly to have moved away from this original role and to have moved closer to the mainstream. The perception of its greater minority interest nevertheless persists in today's multi-channel world, so that a programme moved from BBC Two to BBC One will often attract a much larger audience, even though no other change has been made. Since 2004 there have been some signs of an attempt to return closer to parts of BBC Two's earlier output with the arts strand ''The Culture Show'' and intermittent night-time repeats of programming from BBC Four. Its most popular programme at the moment is ''Top Gear''.

During the evenings, alternative programmes are broadcast on BBC Two Northern Ireland, BBC Two Scotland and BBC Two Wales. Until December 2008, BBC Wales broadcast a special, digital-only channel, BBC 2W, which contained more opt-outs than analogue-only BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Northern Ireland's offering includes local news and weather updates, whilst BBC Scotland broadcasts variations from the main network on BBC Two Scotland, such as ''Newsnight Scotland'', and Gaelic-language programmes under the banner BBC Two Alba.

Programming

Public service, educational and community programming

An important part of BBC2's founding mission was not only to provide minority interest entertainment but also to fulfil the public service functions of educational and community broadcasting.

Following a long and important association with the Open University, which has always co-produced programming with the channel, BBC2 had also carried BBC Schools programmes from 1983 (til 2010) from BBC1. In 2010 primary school programmes were moved from daytime to BBC Learning Zone. In recent years the Open University programming has been broadcast under the wider category of the BBC Learning Zone, in its long-standing slot late at night and during the early hours. However, in 2004 the Open University announced it was to end the late-night programmes in favour of more primetime co-productions, modelled on ''Coast''.

As a result of the channel's commitment to community broadcasting and amongst other programming the channel produced the symbolic ''Open Space'' series, a strand developed in the early 1970s in which members of the public would be allotted half an hour of television time, and given a level of editorial and technical training in order to produce for themselves a film on an issue most important to them. BBC2's Community Programme Unit kept this aspect of the channel's tradition alive into the 1990s in the form of ''Video Diaries'' and later ''Video Nation''. The Community Programmes Unit was disbanded in 2004.

On-screen identity

As well as programmes, BBC Two has also proved memorable for its numerous idents — various short films shown in between programme junctions that serve as the channel identity. Since it began in 1964, the figure '2' has almost always featured, using revolving, mechanical models and computer-aided technology, including the world's first computer-generated ident in 1979.

At Easter 1986 the computer-generated '2' was replaced by the word 'TWO' in red, green and blue on a white background. However, a survey carried out by the BBC in 1990 found that this ident gave the channel a 'worthy but dull' image. Then-controller Alan Yentob saw a major change of identity was necessary.

Branding agency Lambie-Nairn were commissioned, and in February 1991, the new custom '2' — and the signature colour, viridian — were unveiled on BBC Two, in idents that would successfully change public perception, and become world famous. The '2' always appeared in the same shape, in various forms; the earliest idents of 1991 featured solely inanimate '2' figures of different material in each, but also made use of camera angle tricks and properties such as refraction to achieve various effects. In later years it was given character, taking the form of a remote-controlled car, a rubber duck, a Dalek and a toy dog among many others. The expansive set of idents from 1991 to 2001 — lasting over a decade — are generally regarded as the best idents ever produced for a television channel; they ended in November 2001. The BBC corporate logo was updated within the idents in October 1997, though the idents moved away from the original viridian colour scheme in these latter years.

The subsequent presentation style, again created by Lambie-Nairn, was introduced on 19 November 2001 kept the same figure '2' — though it was now always shown white on a yellow background, and completely computer generated. Occasionally, to promote certain programmes on the channel the ident moved away from the standard style. For example, in a trail for the second series of ''The Catherine Tate Show'', the character of Lauren Cooper was shown arguing with a '2' in the guise of a dog. This canine identity for the '2' was part of the BBC's ''Pedigree Comedy'' branding for comedy programmes in the Thursday night slot, and featured in 3 ident versions for use ahead of the programmes.

Withdrawn idents from years past have also made a return to BBC Two for special events. The "Garden" ident (in which a '2' grows out of flowers) returned for the 2001 Chelsea Flower Show after having been retired in 1997, and remained in occasional use until the November 2001 rebrand. For the 2006 Winter Olympics, the Christmas 2000 ident was used again (renamed "Frosty"), and remained in use until the February 2007 refresh. For the 2006 Chelsea Flower Show, "Predator" (where a '2' butterfly is eaten by a Venus fly-trap shaped '2') was used again (as "Venus Fly Trap"), and also remained in occasional use until the February 2007 rebrand. In each case, the branding was updated to match the then-current style.

The latest style of presentation was introduced on 18 February 2007, designed by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and produced by Red Bee Media. The figure 2 — which has been altered from Lambie-Nairn's original '2' design for the first time in 16 years — became a 'window on the world'. The first ident broadcast from this set was "Cappuccino Scoop". Additionally, the plum coloured box previously used for the BBC Two logo was changed to a teal colour, along with a font change from Gill Sans to Avenir across the channel.

On 18 March 2007 the ident "Tagging Football" was used to introduce ''Match of the Day 2''. This ident is shot from the viewpoint of a man carrying a pink template with a 2 shaped cut-out hole, through which everything is seen; it is held up close to the camera. The man runs across a pitch, and hastily sprays the side of a football with a crude, bright pink '2' using the template and a can of spray paint. The camerawork is jittery, though likely intended to convey the frantic pace. Despite being different in style from the other current sequences, it is one of the idents issued as part of the initial set from AMV & Red Bee, and there are other versions of the same concept yet to air.

Regional variations

BBC Two also has regional variations in both the nations, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the English Regions were also used on analogue however no longer exist on digital, making these opt outs rarely used. The Nations versions of BBC Two share the same idents, but with the nation name in the BBC Two box. BBC Two Scotland shows a lot of specifically Scottish programming on the channel, as well as its sister channel BBC One Scotland, and the schedules are often mixed around to match. BBC Two Northern Ireland and BBC Two Wales both have the option to opt out, however they generally stick to the network schedule, only opting out a couple of times each week. In England, on analogue, each of the English regions has the option to opt out of the network programming and replace it with local programming, however this is usually only done in exceptional circumstances, as all regular regional programming has been transferred to BBC One, the English regions are not available on digital. There is no specific BBC Two England, this role is fulfilled by the network BBC Two.

BBC Two and BBC Four

Since the launch of the digital-only BBC Four, the BBC has been accused in particular of shifting its more highbrow output to the new channel, which a minority (7.5% in the final quarter of 2010) of viewers do not receive. The perceived strategy has been to allow BBC Two to show more popular programmes and to secure higher ratings. Many commentators have judged there to be a strong resemblance between the new Four and the earlier, more ambitious, BBC Two. Output from BBC Four (documentaries rather than foreign films) is repeated on BBC Two in a 'BBC Four on Two' branded area, although this is often in a late night broadcast slot after ''Newsnight''. The slot was discontinued following the rebrand in 2007. To compensate, popular and flagship programmes from BBC Four are now rerun on BBC Two following their original run on the channel.

See also

BBC Two 'The 2s' idents

References

External links

BBC Nations Category:BBC television channels in the United Kingdom Category:Television channels in the United Kingdom Category:Television channels and stations established in 1964 Category:Peabody Award winners Category:1964 establishments in the United Kingdom

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{{Infobox racing driver | name = Ken Block | image = Ken Block (rally driver).jpg | imagesize = 250px | caption = Ken Block in 2008. | nationality = American | birth_date = November 21, 1967 | birth_place = Long Beach, California | current series = Rally America | first year = 2005 | current team = Monster World Rally Team | prev teams = Subaru World Rally Team | co-driver = Alex Gelsomino | career points = 453 | best finish = 2nd Overall in Rally America | year = 2006 and 2008 | award years = 2004

---

2005 is a professional rally driver with the Monster World Rally Team. Block is also one of the co-founders and recently appointed Chief Brand Officer of DC Shoes. Vermont SportsCar prepared a 2005 Subaru WRX STi for Block to compete. His first event of the rallying season was Sno*Drift, where he ended up finishing seventh overall and fifth in the Group N class. During the 2005 season, Block had five top five finishes and placed third overall in the Group N class and fourth overall in the Rally America National Championship.

2006

In 2006, Ken Block along with his DC rally teammate Travis Pastrana signed a new sponsorship deal with Subaru. Block gained his first Canadian rally win at the event. In the X Games XIV rally competition, Block finished tied for third place with Dave Mirra. This occurrence was due to both competitors having issues with their car. Block, who made it to the semi-finals of the event, had a radiator problem after landing the car awkwardly on a jump. With both bronze place competitors in damaged cars unable to compete, the medals were awarded to both of them. Next up for Block this rally season is three World Rally Championship events.

2010

On January 6, 2010 the Monster World Rally Team announced Ken as their driver for selected rounds of the World Rally Championship, in which he will be campaigning the Monster/Ford Racing Focus RS WRC 08. His car will be prepared and run by the North of England based M-Sport, who also prepare the official Ford WRC cars. He will be simultaneously running in his sixth season of the Rally America Championship in an open class Ford Fiesta, as well as his fifth X-games. Ken will also be the first ever American driver to campaign for the World Rally Championship. On February 27, Block won the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood (Rally America) for the 5th consecutive time. This broke the record held by John Buffum. Ken is currently being trained by former Ford factory driver Markko Märtin. At the Spain rally, he won his first 2 points in World Rally Championship.

2011

On March 23, Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino were taken to hospital, having rolled their Ford Fiesta RS WRC during the shakedown stage of the 2011 Rally de Portugal in Faro, Portugal. A representative of the Monster World Rally team later stated that both men were fine.

Complete Rally America results

(key)

! Year

! Car

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6

! 7

! 8

! 9

! DC

! Pts

! Subaru Impreza WRX STi

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! Subaru Impreza WRX STi

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style="background:#dfffdf;"

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style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

! Subaru Impreza WRX STi

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style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

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style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

! Subaru Impreza WRX STi

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style="background:#ffffbf;"

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style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

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style="background:#dfffdf;"

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! Subaru Impreza WRX STi

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! Ford Fiesta

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Complete WRC results

! Year

! Entrant

! Car

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6

! 7

! 8

! 9

! 10

! 11

! 12

! 13

! 14

! 15

! 16

! WDC

! Points

rowspan=2

! Ken Block

Subaru Impreza WRX STI

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NC

0

! Rally FaNZ

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! Subaru Rally Team USA

! Subaru Impreza WRX STI

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! NC

! 0

! Monster World Rally Team

Ford Focus WRC>Ford Focus RS WRC 08

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style="background:#efcfff;"

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! 19th

! 2

! Monster World Rally Team

! Ford Fiesta RS WRC

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bgcolor="#CFCFFF"

bgcolor="#CFCFFF"

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! NC*

! 0*

* Season in progress.

Other Motorsport Activities

On October 15, 2009, it was reported that Block was close to a deal to join the World Rally Championship in a new Ford team. Long time co-driver Alex Gelsomino is also reportedly involved in the deal. Former Subaru WRC driver Chris Atkinson has been reported to be lined up as Block's team-mate in the all-new Monster Energy Drink Ford World Rally Team.

In 2005, Ken Block along with his DC Shoes associates participated in the Gumball 3000 Rally. For the event they sent out three modified 2004 Subaru WRX STi's sponsored by DC Shoes.

In 2006, Ken Block competed in the One Lap of America competition along with Brian Scotto. They were teamed up in a 2006 Subaru WRX STi and finished forty-fifth overall.

In 2006, for the Discovery Channel show ''Stunt Junkies'', Ken Block jumped his Subaru WRX STi rally car and a max height of .

Ken Block also holds the world record for the world's fastest snow cat, a modified Subaru STI called a Trax STI.

On September 14, 2010, Block's third Gymkhana video, featuring a Ford Fiesta, was released on YouTube. The video got more than seven million views in its first week.

On August 16, 2011, the fourth Gymkhana video, ''The Hollywood Megamercial'' was released on YouTube, featuring Block driving around the Universal Studios backlot.

Involvement In Colin McRae: Dirt 2 and Dirt 3

Ken Block is featured as a driver in Codemasters Colin McRae: Dirt 2, along with his Subaru Rally Team USA Impreza. In Dirt 3 he is seen as a driver and Gymkhana teacher.

References

External links

Ken Block's Official site

Monster World Rally Team

Rally Results and News

Subaru Rally Team USA

Rally America Website

Ken Block Official Merchandise Store

Ken Block Interview

Gymkhana racing improved by Ken Block, Video, ~4min

dirt2game.com/

Category:American rally drivers Category:World Rally Championship drivers Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:American sports businesspeople

cs:Ken Block de:Ken Block et:Ken Block es:Ken Block fr:Ken Block it:Ken Block hu:Ken Block nl:Ken Block pt:Ken Block (piloto) ru:Блок, Кен fi:Ken Block sv:Ken Block

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Graham Norton
birth name	Graham William Walker
birth date	April 04, 1963
birth place	Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland
medium	Television, radio, stand-up
nationality	Irish
active	1992–present
genre	Observational comedy
subject	Everyday life, pop culture, current events, celebrities, sex
awards
notable work	''So Graham Norton''''V Graham Norton''''The Graham Norton Effect''''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture''''The Graham Norton Show'' }}

Graham William Walker, known by his stage name Graham Norton, (born 4 April 1963) is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist. He is the host of comedy chat programme ''The Graham Norton Show'' on BBC One in the UK. ''Hot Press'' has described him as "the 21st century's answer to Terry Wogan", with both men sharing an Irish background and the common link of being a BBC Radio 2 presenter and the BBC television commentator of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Early life and career

Norton was born in Clondalkin, a suburb of Dublin, but grew up in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland. He was educated at Bandon Grammar School, in County Cork and then University College Cork but did not complete his studies.

In 1992 his stand-up comedy drag act in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as a tea-towel clad Mother Teresa of Calcutta made the press when Scottish Television's religious affairs department mistakenly thought he represented the real Mother Teresa.

His first appearances in broadcasting were in his spot as a regular comedian and panellist on the BBC Radio 4 show ''Loose Ends'', when the show ran on Saturday mornings, in the early 1990s. His rise to fame began as one of the early successes of Channel 5, when he won an award for his performance as the stand-in host of a late-night TV talk show usually presented by Jack Docherty. This was followed by a comic quiz show on Channel 5 called ''Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment'', which was not well received as a programme, but did further enhance Norton's individual reputation as a comic and TV host. In 1996, Norton co-hosted the late-night quiz show ''Carnal Knowledge'' on ITV with Maria McErlane.

In 1996, Norton played the part of Father Noel Furlong in three episodes ("Hell", "Flight Into Terror", "The Mainland") of the Channel 4 series ''Father Ted''. Father Noel Furlong was often seen taking charge of a small youth folk-group.

Channel 4

After this early success, Norton moved to Channel 4 to host his own chat shows including ''So Graham Norton'' and ''V Graham Norton''. As a performer who is not only openly gay, but also camp and flamboyant, it was here that Norton's act was fully honed as a cheeky, innuendo-laden joker.

In 2003, he was the subject of controversy when, on his show on Channel 4, he made a comedic reference to the recent death of Bee Gees singer Maurice Gibb. The Independent Television Commission investigated after complaints about this insensitivity were forwarded to it and eventually Channel 4 had to make two apologies: one in the form of a caption slide before the show, another from Norton in person.

Also in 2003, he was listed in ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy (though Norton is Irish, the bulk of his television career has been in the UK).

In the summer of 2004, Norton moved across the Atlantic to start a new venture in American television. ''The Graham Norton Effect'' debuted on 24 June 2004 on Comedy Central, and was also broadcast in the UK on BBC Three. In the midst of controversy surrounding Janet Jackson's Super Bowl performance, Norton was wary of moving into the market.

BBC

In 2005, Norton moved to the BBC and began hosting the Saturday evening reality TV series ''Strictly Dance Fever'' on BBC One, as well as a new comedy chat show, ''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture''. He also read stories some nights on the BBC children's channel CBeebies as part of ''Bedtime Hour''.

In 2006, Norton hosted the BBC One series ''How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?'' in which Andrew Lloyd Webber tried to find a lead actress for his West End version of ''The Sound of Music''. Norton has subsequently presented the 3 follow-up series: ''Any Dream Will Do'' in 2007, in which a group of males competed to win the role of Joseph in the West End production of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat''; ''I'd Do Anything'' in 2008, in which Andrew Lloyd Webber seeks to find the part of Nancy and Oliver for Sir Cameron Mackintosh's production of Lionel Bart's ''Oliver!''; and ''Over the Rainbow'' in 2010, following a similar format to find a new Dorothy for a ''Wizard of Oz'' West end Production.

Norton hosted various other shows for the BBC during this time, including ''When Will I Be Famous?'' (2007), ''The One and Only'' (2008) and ''Totally Saturday'' (2009). Since 2007, Norton has also been a regular host of The British Academy Television Awards. On 7 July 2007, Norton presented at Live Earth and undertook a trip to Ethiopia with the Born Free Foundation to highlight the plight of the Ethiopian wolf – the rarest canid in the world. In the same year, he was the subject of an episode of the BBC1 genealogy documentary ''Who Do You Think You Are?''.

Norton's chat show, ''The Graham Norton Show'', began on 22 February 2007 on BBC Two. Although in a format that he had not been involved in for 4 years, it is very similar to his previous Channel 4 shows. On 6 October 2009, the show moved to BBC One, in a new one-hour format.

In May 2010, he stood in for Chris Evans' breakfast show on BBC Radio 2. Later that month, it was confirmed that he would be replacing Jonathan Ross's Saturday morning slot on the same station.

In December 2011, the panel show ''Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton'' premiered on BBC America in the time slot immediately following ''The Graham Norton Show''. Recorded in New York, it is one of BBC America's earliest efforts at producing original programming, and is also the first panel game the channel has shown, either of British or American origin.

In January 2012, he called on listeners to his Radio 2 show to help find his car hours after it was stolen. He called it "The Great Car Hunt" and told listeners to “Keep your eyes out for it. It was filthy by the way."

Eurovision

Norton hosted the first annual ''Eurovision Dance Contest'' alongside Claudia Winkleman which was held on 1 September 2007 in London, England. The format was based on the BBC's ''Strictly Come Dancing'' and the EBU's ''Eurovision Song Contest''. Norton and Winkleman also hosted the 2008 Contest in Glasgow, Scotland.

In October 2008, it was confirmed by the BBC that Norton would replace Terry Wogan as the BBC's presenter for the UK heats of the ''Eurovision Song Contest'', in a show to be called ''Your Country Needs You''.

On 5 December 2008 it was announced that Norton would also take over from Wogan as the presenter of the main Eurovision Song Contest. The 54th Eurovision Song Contest was held in the Olimpiyskiy (Olympic) Stadium, Moscow on 16 May 2009.

Norton's jokes during his debut received some positive reviews from the British media. ''The Guardian'' noted his comments on Iceland's entry, which finished in second place, had "rooted around in a cupboard and found an old bridesmaid dress from 1987" and the Armenian singers, who finished in tenth place, were sporting traditional dress, "which would be true if you come from the village where Liberace is the mayor."

His comment “The bad news is you’re about to watch Albania. She’s only 17 so please bear that in mind. Where was her mother? Why didn’t she step in and say no?” which was made just before Albanian singer Kejsi Tola was set to take the stage dubbed an insult by many, sent ripples of outrage through not only Albania, but also the Albanian population in Britain.He then announced that Albania should get no points and that he didn't care what anybody else thought. There was a petition circling the net calling for a formal apology from Norton. The petition, which called his comment “very rude and insulting,” had drawn over 1,000 signatures.He never responded.

In 2011, he snarked that if Jedward's entry into the competition that year won, the twins would never sleep again. In the end, they were eighth. Earlier in that year's televote, he joked "Quick, someone take a picture", when The British entry that year went temporarily in the lead early on after high votes from Russia(4), Bulgaria(12) and Italy(10). In the end, the song dropped down the 11th, earning 100 points. Very annoyed, Norton claimed 'We were better than Jedward'.

Other

In July 2000 Graham was one of three judges of the Miss Lesbian Beauty Contest 2000 held at The Talk of London, Dury Lane. The contest was won by 42 year old Carol Hutchins who wowed the audience with her sit-down comedy routine from a wheelchair. Graham described Carol as a "very bright, funny lady."

Graham Norton played Mr. Puckov in the 2006 American comedy spoof film ''Another Gay Movie''. In 2007, Norton played Taylor in the romantic comedy film ''I Could Never Be Your Woman''.

Norton was involved in a high-publicity advertising campaign for the UK National Lottery as an animated unicorn, the stooge to a character based on Lady Luck (played by Fay Ripley). He has also advertised McVitie's biscuits.

In 2007, Norton featured in Girls Aloud and Sugababes' Comic Relief video for the single "Walk This Way."

In January 2009, Norton made his West End stage debut in a revival of ''La Cage Aux Folles'' at the Playhouse Theatre.

Since 2009, Norton has been the host of the comedy game-show ''Most Popular'' on US cable television channel WE tv.

Norton currently writes an advice column in ''The Daily Telegraph'' newspaper. In October 2010, these columns were made into a book entitled ''Ask Graham'', published by John Blake Publishing.

Personal life

Norton has stated that he felt "out of place" growing up in Ireland; his family are Protestant yet the Republic of Ireland is overwhelmingly Catholic. Norton took part in the TV programme, ''Who Do You Think You Are?'', to trace his ancestry. It was discovered that his family were originally planters sent over from England to take over Irish land. Some members of his family had fought for the British Monarchy during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and taken part in a massacre of Catholics in Carnew Castle. Another member of his family was later killed in battle by the United Irishmen. Norton said he was comforted to find out that his family had resided in Ireland for generations.

In 1989 while living in London, Norton was mugged, beaten and stabbed by a group of attackers on the street. He says he lost half his blood and nearly died, and he was hospitalised for two and a half weeks.

Norton is openly gay.

Norton suffers from vitiligo, a skin disorder in which patches of depigmented skin occur.

Norton caused controversy on 7 October 2006, when he described ecstasy as "fantastic."

Immediately after hosting the BAFTAs in 2009, he said he returned home only to fall down his stairs and break two ribs. Some sources claimed that he presented the next Graham Norton Show on crutches, but this is not true, although he did make a comment about it, related to ''Pushing Daisies'', by saying "in ''Pushing Daisies'' people die in all sorts of bizarre ways... someone else was killed by a man dressed as a crash-test dummy, and some idiot almost died when he got drunk and fell down the stairs after presenting the BAFTAs. As if that could happen in real life!"

TV appearances

Main presenting credits

''Carnal Knowledge'' (TV series, co-presenter) (1996, 27 one hour shows)

''Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment''

''So Graham Norton'' (1998–2002)

''V Graham Norton'' (2002–2003)

''NY Graham Norton'' (2004)

''The Graham Norton Effect'' (2004–2005)

''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture'' (2005–2006)

''Strictly Dance Fever'' (2005–2006)

BBC/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical theater talent searches (2006–present)

* ''How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?'' (2006)

* ''Any Dream Will Do'' (2007)

* ''I'd Do Anything'' (2008)

* ''Over the Rainbow'' (2010)

''The Big Finish'' (2006–)

''When Will I Be Famous?'' (2007)

''The Graham Norton Show'' (2007–present)

''The British Academy Television Awards'' (2007)

''Live Earth'' (2007)

''Eurovision Dance Contest'' (2007)

''The One and Only'' (2008)

''Eurovision Dance Contest'' (2008)

''Eurovision: Your Country Needs You'' (2009–present)

''Eurovision Song Contest'' (UK commentator, 2009–present)

''Totally Saturday'' (2009)

''Most Popular'' (2009–present)

''Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton'' (BBC America, 2011–present)

Other television credits

''Rex the Runt'': A Crap Day Out ''Absolutely Fabulous'': Gay ''Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)

!Year!!Title!!Character!!Broadcaster
1996–98	''Father Ted'':	* Hell	* Flight into Terror	* The Mainland	Father Noel Furlong	Channel 4
rowspan=3	2001	|	The Plants voice	BBC
''Rex the Runt'': Patio	Osvalde Halitosis voice
''The Kumars at No. 42''	Himself
2002	|	Himself	BBC
rowspan=4	2007	Who Do You Think You Are?'' ||	Himself	BBC
''Saving Planet Earth''	*Saving Wolves	Himself	BBC
''Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List''
''Robbie the Reindeer'' in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind	Computer voice

Radio

''Just a Minute''

Sitting in for Steve Wright August 2009 BBC Radio 2

Sitting in for Chris Evans May /July 2010 BBC Radio 2

On 2 October 2010, he began his weekly BBC Radio 2 Saturday show taking over from Jonathan Ross. The show airs from 10.00am-1.00pm and combines a mixture of music, chat and celebrity guests.

2011/12 Radio 2 Saturday mornings

Filmography

''Stargay'' ''Another Gay Movie'' ''I Could Never Be Your Woman''

!Year!!Title!!Character!!Production
1999	|	Graham Solex	Canal+
2006	|	Mr. Puckov	Luna Pictures
2007	|	Taylor	The Weinstein Company

Stand-Up videos

''Live At The Roundhouse'' (19 November 2001)

Awards

1999 : Gaytime Award for ''Gay Entertainer of the Year''

2000, 2001, 2002 : BAFTA Award for Best Entertainment Performance - ''So Graham Norton''

2001 : RTS Television Award for Best Presenter - ''So Graham Norton''

2001 : TRIC Award TV Personality of the Year

2011 : BAFTA Award for Best Entertainment Performance - ''The Graham Norton Show''

References

External links

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of University College Cork Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters Category:Gay actors Category:Irish columnists Category:Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:Irish male comedians Category:Irish people of English descent Category:Irish television talk show hosts Category:LGBT comedians from Ireland Category:LGBT people from Ireland Category:LGBT radio personalities from Ireland Category:LGBT television personalities from Ireland Category:People from County Cork Category:People from Dublin (city) Category:Survivors of stabbing Category:United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest

cy:Graham Norton de:Graham Norton es:Graham Norton fy:Graham Norton ga:Graham Norton nl:Graham Norton no:Graham Norton pl:Graham Norton ro:Graham Norton sv:Graham Norton

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	The Stig
portrayer
creator	Andy Wilman
introducer	Jeremy Clarkson
series	Top Gear
years	2002–present
first	20 October 2002
occupation	Test driver and trainer for celebrity guests }}

The Stig is a character in the British motoring television show ''Top Gear''. The character plays on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who, or indeed what, is inside the character's racing suit. The character was the creation of presenter Jeremy Clarkson and the show's producer Andy Wilman. "Stig" was a nickname for new boys at their old school, Repton. Although there is one "main" Stig, there are several "spin-off" Stigs, referred to by the presenters as "The Stig's cousin."

The Stig is responsible for setting lap times for cars tested on the show, as well as instructing celebrity guests in the show's Star in a Reasonably Priced Car section. (see "Role" below) There have currently been three Stigs—the first Stig started on episode 1, but was killed off in the first episode of series 3. The second Stig appeared in the next episode, and lasted until series 15. The third Stig took over from December 2010.

The BBC has always refused to confirm officially the identity of the driver who plays the Stig. "Who is The Stig?" became a frequently asked question on the internet. The identity of the original 'Black' Stig, Perry McCarthy, was exposed by a Sunday newspaper after the first series of the show, in January 2003. McCarthy confirmed that he was 'The Stig' in the second edition of his autobiography, published following series two, and is now generally acknowledged as having been the first Stig, even by BBC media. The second Stig's identity was revealed, in his own autobiography, as Ben Collins, a professional racing driver who has participated in Formula Three, Indy Lights, sportscars, GT racing, stock cars & V8 Supercars.

Creation and name

The idea for the character was part of host Jeremy Clarkson's and producer Andy Wilman's concept for the relaunched ''Top Gear'' show, bringing a new format to the original version of Top Gear which ceased production in 2001. The relaunched show would introduce a live studio audience, the Stig, a racetrack, and madcap stunts. Clarkson is credited by the ''Sunday Times'' with having come up with the original idea for the Stig. Clarkson and Wilman wanted to have a professional racing driver as part of the show's cast, but ran into difficulty finding a driver sufficiently adept at speaking on-camera. Clarkson then asked Wilman why the driver needed to speak at all, and the decision was made that the Stig's role would be silent.

The name Stig derives from Wilman and Clarkson's time at the private Repton School, where new boys had always been called "Stig". According to McCarthy, speaking in 2006, the producers had wanted the anonymous driver to be called 'The Gimp', referring to the use of gimp suits in BDSM sexual role-playing. After McCarthy objected, the name Stig was settled upon. McCarthy had said of the idea at the time that "I don't want to be forever remembered as the Gimp".

Characteristics

Uniform

The Black Stig wore a black helmet and overalls. The White Stig (MkI) uniform consists of a white Alpinestars racing suit with small Grand Prix Racewear logo, a white Simpson Bandit and later, Diamondback race helmet, black on white Alpinestars Tech 1-ZX gloves, and white Alpinestars Tech 1-T racing shoes. His white helmet was originally a Simpson Speedway RX model, while his shoes also began as Alpinestars Tech 1-K kart items.. The New Stig's uniform is very similar to the previous Stig but has black epaulettes.

According to the ''Sunday Times'' writing in 2006, most of the crew did not know his identity, relaying how one camera assistant once observed him eating his lunch in the back of an ambulance to avoid being spotted. Again according to ''The Sunday Times'' writing in 2009, just a few BBC production staff and other journalists knew the Stig's real identity.

Anonymity and silence

In the very first episode when introducing the Black Stig, Clarkson noted that, "We don't know its name, we really don't know its name, nobody knows its name, and we don't wanna know, 'cause it's a racing driver". According to the ''Daily Mail'' writing in 2010, his face is never revealed on set, not even the celebrity guests training on the reasonably priced car are allowed to learn his identity. He stays suited and with his helmet on throughout the show, arriving early and leaving late, and having his own dressing room and eating privately. The studio audience has no access to him at any time.

Although the Stig does talk with celebrities while preparing them for their "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" lap times, he is never shown talking on screen. Clarkson has joked that he is "not a very talkative chap" when keeping silent while on set, in order to hide his identity. In a rare spoken interview, the Stig has reportedly said when asked what his real name was, that he didn't remember because his memory had been erased when he got the job. The Stig's muteness is extended to appearances in other media, such as the 'Brain Stig' viral video released by the BBC on their YouTube channel, to promote the new Top Gear website in 2009, depicting a frustrated staff member holding a brainstorming session for show ideas.

Clarkson has written in his newspaper column that the Stig is not permitted to talk because "the opinions of all racing drivers are completely worthless", going on to explain that, because of their familiarity with cars equipped for track racing, they believe any and all road cars are rubbish, even a Lamborghini Gallardo or a Bugatti Veyron. He confirmed this by test driving for himself a BMW 3-series diesel road car converted to a race car, complete with slick tyres, race suspension and brakes, and concluding that driving it was "more exciting and more fun to drive than any supercar".

Driving ability

The show has often compared and contrasted the Stig's driving ability, particularly against Formula One drivers. When Jeremy Clarkson stated that the Stig believed that the Suzuki Liana, the show's Reasonably Priced Car at the time, could do a time of 1:44, a former F1 driver, Nigel Mansell, appearing as a guest on the programme, duly obliged by posting a lap time of 1:44.6, while the Stig then posted a lap time of 1:44.4. Clarkson has often mentioned that F1 drivers seem to take a different racing line on the test track than the Stig, such as on Jenson Button's drive; however, during Rubens Barrichello's and Lewis Hamilton's visits to the show, Clarkson observed that they took the same line around the track as The Stig. Formula One driver Mark Webber's appearance on the show was marked at the conclusion of his lap with Clarkson presenting him with an "I AM THE STIG" T-shirt. The show made various references to the Stig apparently having developed a jealous rivalry with Rubens Barrichello, after he became the first person to beat his time posted in the "Reasonably Priced Car" by a tenth of a second, posting a lap time of 1:44.3. Sebastian Vettel currently holds the record for F1 drivers with a time of 1:44.0.

Other characteristics

The Stig has been described by Clarkson as having a very small brain, worthless opinions, and a disorder called "Mansell Syndrome".

The Stig's status and oddity has often been underlined with humorous introductions by the presenters before his appearances on the show. Initially, the Stig would be given simple humorous introductions on the show, such as "His Holiness, The Stig!" (introducing the Power Lap for the Bowler Wildcat.) Beginning in Series 6, these began to follow a format of "Some say that [facts]. All we know is, he's called the Stig.", where the facts give away some unusual trait or other detail about the Stig. These often detail his odd character traits, such as being afraid of bells or confused by stairs. His possibly machine like or at least non-human body is hinted at by revelations that his voice can only be heard by cats, or that he never blinks, naturally faces magnetic north, all his legs are hydraulic, he has two sets of knees, and heart ticks like a watch. He is even hinted at being a wild creature, spending his spare time catching fish with his tongue or foraging for wolves in the woods. Other odd details revealed in these introductions have included such facts as his face appears on high-value stamps in Sweden his left nipple is the shape of the Nürburgring, one of his eyes is a testicle, that he invented the curtain, that he daydreams of Rubens Barrichello being caught in a ham slicer, his salary is paid by the BBC in strong pornography, and that he developed the wonderful scent of Wednesday.

His introductions often jokingly refer to current events of the day, such as when Clarkson introduced Michael Schumacher as the Stig in 2009 by stating he "recently submitted a £20,000 expenses claim for some gravel for his moat," in reference to the MPs' expenses scandal, or when it was said "if you give him a really important job, he'll skive off and play croquet", referring to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott in 2006. One introduction even made reference to the conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Princess Diana: "Some say that he's banned from the town of Chichester and that in a recent late-night deal, he bought a slightly dented white Fiat Uno from the Duke of Edinburgh."

For the trip to the Isle of Man road test, the Stig was depicted as a piece of cargo, being collected by Clarkson from the baggage conveyor at the airport. On the ''Top Gear'' 2005 DVD ''Revved Up'', the Stig is depicted as being stored in a cupboard when not in use. The Stig is also portrayed as having bizarre listening habits as heard on the car stereo as he performs Power Laps. Often a specific genre is chosen for one or more series. These have included power ballads, one-hit wonders, easy listening, country and western, Morse code, progressive rock, whale songs, baroque, advertising jingles, foreign language tapes, romantic novels, salesman techniques, the hits of Elton John, the speeches of Margaret Thatcher, self-help tapes, pipe band music, Chas & Dave, vuvuzelas, and, in episode 5 of series 15, the Bee Gees in German.

The Stig's odd persona was maintained in his appearance at the National Television Awards, when he silently accepted an award, and handed the host Griff Rhys Jones a letter from Clarkson, May and Hammond, instructing him to give the Stig the award in his left hand, as his right one is magnetic, and cautioning organisers that he wasn't to be seated near the cast of ''Coronation Street'', as "he's decided all northerners are edible".

Role

The Stig is credited alongside Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May as a presenter of ''Top Gear'' in the end credits. The Stig's primary roles on the show centre on the ''Top Gear'' test track at the show's base at Dunsfold Aerodrome, Surrey. His two main functions are to post lap times for various featured performance cars in the 'Power Laps' segment, and to train celebrity guests to set lap times on the test track in the 'Star in a Reasonably Priced Car' segment.

The Stig's role as a test driver is described on the ''Top Gear'' website Power Laps board as follows:

When first introduced, the Stig was described as the resident test driver, as the presenters could not consistently post fast times themselves. His stated mission was to "just go out there and drive fast". This was reflected by the original Stig Perry McCarthy who described in 2006 how a racing driver was intended to be used as part of the presenting team in order to produce definitive fastest lap times for tested cars.

Identity

Previous Stigs

Black Stig

name	The Stig (Black)
series	Top Gear
years	2002–2003
first	20 October 2002
last	26 October 2003
cause	Drove a car off the flight deck of HMS ''Invincible''
portrayer	Perry McCarthy }}

Racing driver Perry McCarthy was the original, Black Stig, appearing in 22 episodes of the programme in all.

McCarthy got the role of the Stig after a chance meeting with Jeremy Clarkson at the launch party for McCarthy's autobiography, ''Flat Out, Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way!'', published on 4 July 2002. This led to an audition as a regular presenter, before the production team then decided the racing driver would be anonymous. (Although in 2008, McCarthy said that Clarkson mentioned the idea of a 'top secret' racing driver at their first meeting.)

After the first series ended, an article on 12 January 2003 in ''The Sunday Mirror'' named the Stig as Perry McCarthy. The newspaper quoted a show insider stating "Just a handful of the crew know that he is actually Perry". At the time, McCarthy simply stated "I do know who the Stig is but I cannot comment any further." After the second series ended, McCarthy published the second edition of his autobiography, confirming that he was The Stig. McCarthy was then "killed off" in the first episode of the third series, which aired on 26 October 2003.

The scene which saw Black Stig "killed off", nicknamed "Top Gun vs Top Gear", was an attempt to race to and then come to a halt on the long flight deck of HMS ''Invincible'', a Royal Navy aircraft carrier, on which British Aerospace Sea Harrier jump jets reach before take-off. He would be using the 'old Top Gear Jag', a white Jaguar XJS bought for a 'couple of hundred quid', stripped of its fittings and fitted with nitrous injection, to take it to , which had been featured in series 2, beating 'just about every supercar on the planet' in a drag race. Black Stig accelerated along the deck, and an on screen speedometer indicated , before a cutaway shot saw the car flying off the end of the runway ramp and into the sea. Clarkson then revealed in the last scene of the episode, that the shot of a glove floating on the sea was all that divers had found. According to McCarthy, "We tried to make it as much like a scene out of James Bond as possible".

The explanations for his exit vary. Speaking in 2008, McCarthy stated "My time at Top Gear ended nicely enough. I’d had a great time and felt it was time to call it a day. So we all shook hands and they threw me off an aircraft carrier." ''The Times'' claimed in 2009 that he fell out with producers. In August 2010, he described how he became tired of the job, which he claimed paid just £700 a week. He said part of his annoyance with the role had come from an attempt by a car owner to sue him for ruining his car, a rare Jaguar C-Type, winner of the 1953 Le Mans 24 Hours, and the BBC stating they could not defend him due to his anonymity. He stated that the BBC eventually chose not to renew his contract, and wrote him out.

Speaking in 2009, McCarthy relayed how to keep his anonymity, when he drove to work as the Stig, he would don the Stig's helmet while going through the security gates at Dunsfold aerodrome, and then he would change into his racing overalls in a special room behind the gatehouse, before then driving into the studio areas. He would speak as little as possible in the backstage areas, and put on an accent, which some mistook as French. McCarthy also explained that hiding his identity while coaching the celebrities for ''Star in a Reasonably Priced Car'' proved difficult. He stated that he did reveal his true identity while coaching Ross Kemp and David Soul, as he had previously met them. For other drives, if celebrities asked if he was a particular person, he would just say "How did you know?", adding that more often than not, the suggestion was Michael Schumacher.

Having had background in top level motor racing before ''Top Gear'', and having originally intended to be a Formula One driver, albeit failing to qualify for any races in the 1992 Formula One season for the Moda Judd team, McCarthy stated in 2006 he did not regret leaving the supercars on ''Top Gear'', and instead harboured ambitions at re-entering racing in the Grand Prix Masters series. After ''Top Gear'' he went on to run an investment company, and earn £6,000 a time doing after dinner speaking.

However, according to the ''Sunday Times'' writing in 2009, McCarthy had revealed in his book that there had always been more than one Stig, and that 47 year-old Julian Bailey, a former Formula One driver for Tyrrell and Lotus, had acted as a stand in for McCarthy, as Black Stig. In a June 2009 interview with the ''Daily Mail'', Bailey, who was selling his home in Effingham, Surrey, said "I was one of the Stigs...which was pretty handy as filming was done just down the road...I have stopped now, but I am not supposed to talk about it."

The First White Stig

name	The First White Stig
portrayer	Ben Collins, occasionally others
series	Top Gear
years	2003–2010
first	2 November 2003
last	1 August 2010
cause	Fired for revealing identity }}

This Stig started in the episode after Black Stig was killed off, and lasted until August 2010, when he revealed himself as Ben Collins. This Stig's job was similar to the last Stig's although while Black Stig was primarily used for Power Lap times and ''Reasonably Priced Car'' training, the white Stig's role had been expanded, and he has been used beyond the ''Top Gear'' test track in other show challenges and road tests, such as producing timed runs in the Isle of Man road test, driving a Caterham Seven from Caterham to Knockhill, riding a London Bus, the DLR and the Tube across London, and jumping a snowmobile off a ski-jump in Lillehammer, Norway. He has also been used in various roles at the studio, such as playing a police pursuit driver in the White Van Man challenge.

Since Clarkson's 2010 DVD ''The Italian Job'', This Stig is now known as "Sacked Stig".

Speculation over the White Stig's identity

There had been much speculation over the identity of this Stig since 2005, from various sources, claiming that a number of drivers, including Collins, Damon Hill, Julian Bailey, Russ Swift, Darren Turner and Tim Schrick, as well as former Top Gear Presenter, now Fifth Gear presenter Tiff Needell were the Stig. There had also been speculation of multiple drivers being the Stig. Many people had also claimed to be the Stig themselves, including Jay Kay and Damon Hill.

When Richard Hammond crashed a rocket-powered car, the accident report into the crash described Ben Collins as someone ''who worked closely with Top Gear as a high performance driver and consultant''.

Original Stig Perry McCarthy stated in November 2006 that he knew who the White Stig was, and hinted at the multiple driver theory.

Many racing drivers, and principals, including Andrew Kirkaldy, Susie Stoddart and Stewart Roden claimed to know who it was, saying that "In the racing world, a lot of the team managers (and racing drivers) know who is under the helmet, but it's top secret", with Kirkaldy claiming ''He's reasonably quiet and modest and doesn't ever talk about it. I only found out by chance and he's certainly never admitted it."

After observing the Stig's charity drive around the Silverstone Circuit just before the July 2008 British Grand Prix, former Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso remarked, "Whoever’s in that car is a seriously good driver... I’ve no idea who he is, but he’s definitely ex-F1".

During 2009, the rumours of the Stig's identity increased rapidly, with various newspapers claiming during January that it was indeed Collins. These include a builder who claimed to have seen his white helmet and uniform on display in his house while doing some work for him, and an art gallery owner and his son claiming that in 2008 a man had enquired about the creation of 450 signed and limited edition prints of the Stig. He first claimed to be a BBC executive, but then revealed himself to be the Stig after they agreed to do the job and signed a confidentiality agreement to keep it secret.

Furthermore, the tabloid ''News of the World'' obtained information stating he was on a salary of around £150,000 a year, by combining his ''Top Gear'' job with some stunt and test driving. He was in his 30s, married, living in a £300,000 home and drove a car worth £15,000. It quoted the BBC source stating "This is the best-kept secret in motor racing and we want to keep it that way. No one will ever officially confirm his identity." This contradicts with many newspapers beliefs (and that of car magazines, such as Peter Lawton, consumer editor of ''What Car?'' magazine) that this had been an "open secret within the motoring world for some years" which the media had previously kept secret in order to "uphold the spirit of the programme".

A BBC source said "The simple fact of the matter is that there are currently four Stigs who drive on the test track" for reasons of practicality. The report claimed that in addition to the rumoured Ben Collins,and MIRA Ice Racing Champion Mike Wilson, Julian Bailey was also currently working as the Stig, with more drivers also used when their schedules clashed. Supporting this, it relayed the source's explanation that if you look at the show the height of the Stig varies.

Whilst these rumours were ongoing, the ''Top Gear'' website blog facetiously revealed that the Stig was a Royal Bank of Scotland chairman Sir Tom McKillop attempting to recover crippling losses, as well as the newly elected US President Barack Obama, who only ran for election to fill in the time between series, and Graham Hill, who they claim faked his own death in a plane crash in 1975 to take the role.

In his newspaper column in ''The Sun'' on 24 January 2009, Clarkson joked that the Stig was in fact the BBC Royal Correspondent Nicholas Witchell, declaring he would now have to be killed by being dropped from a Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport plane, and the ''Telegraph'' will have to now find another big secret to expose, such as the size of the TARDIS, or the identity of Father Christmas.

The ''Daily Mail'' claimed it had tracked down "another former Stig" who anonymously told them the names of a total of eight drivers who had "recently stood in as the test-driving mystery man." In addition to the previously mentioned Ben Collins and Julian Bailey, and the man named "Will", the paper named the Formula One driver Heikki Kovalainen, the former GT world champion Chris Goodwin, stunt drivers Terry Grant and Russ Swift, and the Swedish snow mobile racing champion Dan Lang. It claimed Kovalainen raced a Formula One car around the test track in 2004, and Lang was the driver in the snowmobile ski jump stunt. The BBC refused to comment on the story.

In September 2009, British racing driver Justin Bell, best friend of the original Stig Perry McCarthy, has said he knew who the Stig was, but would not reveal his name. He also stated that he didn't understand why he did it, stating "You can't talk about it and nobody knows who you are. There's nothing good about it ... unless you go to a convention of other people in white helmets and white suits". Bell spoke out after being hired for the job of driving instructor on ''The Jay Leno Show'''s Green Car Challenge segment, similar to the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, causing him to be dubbed 'America's Stig'.

In September 2010, it was claimed that 26-year-old racing driver Phil Keen had stood in for the White Stig, both behind the wheel, and in appearances, when Collins was unavailable, including at the 2009 ''Top Gear Live'' event in Germany.

Michael Schumacher 'revealed'

On 20 June 2009, Jeremy Clarkson revealed in his ''Sun'' newspaper column that the Stig would finally show the world his face, in the series thirteen opening episode to be broadcast the next day. Clarkson said that The Stig wished to unmask himself to quash speculation over his identity, stating "He's been fed up with newspapers speculating that he's a photocopier salesman from Bolton, or lives in a pebble-dashed house in Bristol".

The show first depicted the Stig driving a Ferrari FXX round the test track in a time of 1:10.7 seconds. Afterwards, after walking into the studio and sitting on the green couch, with the audience shouting "Off! Off! Off! Off!", the Stig took his helmet off to reveal he was the former Formula One multiple World Champion Michael Schumacher. In the following interview, Schumacher then played up to some of the supposed defining character traits of the Stig, such as the claim he only knows two facts about ducks (both being wrong), and that he is illegal in only nine (and not seventeen) US states.

The BBC would initially not confirm or deny it was just a stunt, but a spokesman was quoted as saying "You have to bear in mind that Top Gear is an entertainment programme. We never reveal who or what The Stig is,". The next day however, ''The Telegraph'' wrote: "A spokesman for Top Gear confirmed Schumacher had been The Stig during the Ferrari circuit, driving his own car ... But the spokesman added that the identity of the driver at other times would remain "a mystery".

Ben Collins' autobiography

On 19 August 2010 it was reported that there was a legal dispute progressing between publishers representing the Stig and the BBC over plans to release an autobiography revealing his identity. It stated that the dispute surrounded the Stig's dissatisfaction at being unable to exploit his fame, and earning an estimated £5,000 and £10,000 per show, compared to six and seven figure earnings by the other ''Top Gear'' presenters. It described the situation as incredibly tense, with Clarkson said to be deeply upset, and with show insiders fearing that the Stig could either quit the show, or be fired, with the dispute needing to be settled way before the sixteenth series. A BBC spokesman confirmed to the paper that "The BBC is in a legal dispute over the publication of a book relating to ''Top Gear'' as this breaches agreed contractual and confidentiality obligations relating to the show."

Then, the ''Sunday Times'' claimed to have unearthed more evidence that showed Collins was the Stig, namely financial documents for his company Collins Autosport dating back to the White Stig's entry to the show. They stated the documents reported in December 2003 an increase in profits, put down to "driving services provided for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme", just a month after the White Stig's first appearance. When contacted over the story, Collins merely stated "I can't speak to you. I'm going into a tunnel". Responding to the report, the BBC stated that it was "no surprise that Ben Collins's company listed Top Gear amongst its work as the driver had appeared numerous times on the programme and he often supplied other drivers for both the programme and Top Gear Live".

The BBC sued the publisher for an attempt to profit from the unauthorised use of the Top Gear brand, maintaining that revealing the identity would spoil viewers' enjoyment of the show. The publisher responded, stating "We are disappointed that the BBC has chosen to spend licence fee payers' money to suppress this book and will vigorously defend the perfectly legitimate right of this individual to tell his story".

The ''Top Gear'' executive producer Andy Wilman wrote on a ''Top Gear'' blog on 27 August, attacking the publisher for trying to cash in on the programme, describing them as a "bunch of chancers", describing the action as an issue of trust, and justifying the use of license fee to fight the case based on the brand's value to the programme and the viewers, clarifying that half of the case costs were being met by BBC Worldwide, their commercial arm.

On 29 August 2010, the ''Daily Mirror'' claimed the BBC had already sacked Collins from the Stig role, citing the Stig's appearance at the ''Top Gear Live'' August 2010 Stunt Show at the Nürburgring in Germany, at the same time as Collins was photographed at his West Country home. When asked about the ongoing High Court action, Collins stated "I am not allowed to talk about it." Despite objections from the publisher, the legal case hearings began in private on 31 August.

Outcome

After a day and a half of hearings, the case concluded, with the judge finding against the BBC, refusing to grant an injunction blocking the publication. The proposed book was reportedly called ''The Man in the White Suit'', and was indeed about Ben Collins, but still clarifying that it "won't confirm or deny that Ben Collins either was or remains The Stig". Collins was in court to hear the final judgment. HarperCollins confirmed that the reasons for declining the injunction were to be given by the judge later, in a private judgment.

Both Collins and HarperCollins refused to confirm his status as the Stig to reporters waiting outside the court after the case, but the publisher maintained surprise at the BBC's decision to fight the case, stating the information in dispute had always been in the public domain. Following the court ruling, Collins' autobiography, ''The Man in the White Suit'', was due to be published on 16 September 2010. As of 2 September 2010, the web site of the Gordon Poole Agency, the talent agency representing Ben Collins, referred to Collins as ''Top Gear's The Stig.''

In the immediate reaction, ''The Telegraph'' asserted that the judgment meant that the Stig had now been conclusively outed as Ben Collins, bringing an end to seven years of speculation and theories as to who wore the white overalls. It also conceded that, " with the corporation yet to officially acknowledge the fact, Collins' future in the role is less certain". The BBC News website published a profile of Collins' career on the same day, but merely stated that he will "publish an autobiography in which he claims to be The Stig".

Aftermath

Following the BBC's failure to obtain an injunction against the autobiography, James May jokingly stated "Obviously I'm now going to have to take some legal action of my own, because I have been the Stig for the past seven years, and I don't know who this bloke is, who's mincing around in the High Court pretending it's him." May kept up the pretence in a column in ''The Telegraph'', expounding on his double life as Captain Slow and the Stig, and how his replacement was named Collins - the Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins.

A couple of names were then considered to be the next Stig, if there was to be one, most notably Heikki Kovalainen and Anthony Davidson as the favourites, as well as former White Stig stand-in, racing driver Phil Keen. The odds on a female Stig were also cut, after Clarkson suggested the character will be replaced.

''The Telegraph'' claimed that Collins had been axed by ''Top Gear'', citing BBC sources who said that as a result of the court case, Collins' contract with the BBC, having already expired in the previous month, would not now be renewed by the BBC. It claimed that a television talent management agency was now planning to use Collins in a new show in competition with ''Top Gear''. It also claimed the BBC had spent up to £100,000 in their bid to have the court impose a temporary injunction banning Collins' book.

Speaking to a radio station the same day, James May explained that in the new series of the show, for which filming was to start the following week, he will be dealt with in a similar way to how the Black Stig was killed off and replaced, having "had to be dealt with by Andy [Wilman, the show producer]". Possible ideas included "driving to The Stig's house and nailing his head to the table", in addition to reclaiming the overalls, shoes and gloves, which were "not his", claiming Wilman was furious at Collins for writing his autobiography.

On 4 September, ''The Sun'' quoted a BBC spokeswoman as saying "No decision has yet been made as to whether The Stig will be killed off.

Under the heading 'Driver Wanted', Jeremy wrote in his column in ''The Sun'' that "''Top Gear'', the motoring show on BBC2, is looking for a driver with a high level of racing experience to be The Stig. The successful applicant need not speak English, or indeed any language at all, but he or she must hate Boy Scouts, be able to punch a horse to the ground, have eyes that blink sideways and, most important of all, understand that no one, under any circumstances, should ever rat on their friends." The newspaper claimed only three people other than the presenters Clarkson, Hammond and May, had known the Stig's identity for certain, before the High Court judgment.

In an interview on 7 September 2010, Jeremy Clarkson said, 'put it this way, he's history as far as we are concerned. He's sacked.'

On 5 November 2010, the Top Gear website released a video clip about its "Stig Farm", the end of which introduced a new Stig for ''Top Gear Live''. He sports a white helmet and overalls, with black highlights on the shoes, sleeves and shoulders. The video also featured a satire of Collins' autobiography, in which one example of a Stig tries to write a book on a computer, before proceeding to correct one of its numerous mistakes with Tippex.

In the USA road trip (aired 21 December 2010), the presenters branded the Stig a traitor, with James May declaring his true name to be Judas Iscariot. In a later challenge in which the presenters had to take part in a mock drive-by shooting, the targets used were cardboard cut-outs of the Stig—which, on his turn, Hammond turned around to take the specific opportunity to "shoot [the Stig] in the ''back''!"

During Collins' appearance with the military amputees rally team broadcast in July 2011, Collins was introduced and acknowledged by Richard Hammond as "ex-Stig... Ben Collins".

The Second White Stig (Current Stig)

name	The Second White Stig
series	Top Gear
years	2010–
first	26 December 2010
latest	23 January 2011 }}

After the identity of the previous Stig was revealed, the producers of Top Gear were unsure about whether to have a new Stig. Pictures emerged, however, of a 'Stig Farm', in which the producers and presenters supposedly went to pick the new Stig. At the end of the Middle East Special, James, Jeremy and Richard went to the manger in Bethlehem and the baby turned out to be a baby Stig. In the first episode of series 16, Jeremy and James explained that Stigs grow very quickly and within a month Baby Stig was fully grown and referred to him as New Stig. He allegedly set broadly very similar lap times to "Sacked Stig". He set the fastest time of any car around the track of 1:15.1 in an Ariel Atom V8 on his first episode.

Appearance before birth

'New Stig' appeared in 'The Ashes Special' which aired in Australia in September 2010 (before Stig's birth in December 2010), although it wasn't revealed to be the new Stig in the Australian coverage as it was in the English coverage (which aired during Series 16).

The Stig's 'cousins'

The Stig is also portrayed as having an extended family of cousins who appear in his place, reinforcing various comical stereotypes.

In the US Special in 2006, the show featured a portly American cousin nicknamed "Big Stig" with a relaxed driving style. He raced the presenters' cars around the Moroso Motorsports Park track. "Big Stig" should not be confused with the white Stig of ''Top Gear America''.

The Botswana Special featured the Stig's African cousin, with dark skin, wearing just Puma racing boots, a loincloth, white racing gloves and the iconic white helmet. He raced two of the presenters' chosen cars around an improvised rally track - Clarkson's Lancia Beta refused to start. According to the Special's DVD commentary, this cousin did have experience in Formula 1 racing.

In Series 12, episode 1, 'Rig Stig' made his debut, sporting a "sunburned" right sleeve and glove in reference to his supposed job as a lorry driver. He appeared powersliding a Team Oliver racing truck to show to the presenters that a lorry could drift.

There was another cousin in the Vietnam Special, although his scenes were not broadcast due to time constraints. He was nicknamed the Stig's Vietnamese/Communist cousin and wore a red uniform. The footage was however included in a later DVD release. Top Gear hired a local motorcycle stunt rider.

In Series 14, episode 2, the Stig's vegetarian cousin, nicknamed "Janet Stig Porter", appeared. He wore green overalls, Birkenstock sandals with socks and a solar-powered helmet. He drove the presenters' "Hammerhead iEagle Thrust" hybrid around the MIRA test circuit to see how long it would last, but eventually died from the car's diesel fumes.

In Series 15, episode 2, the Stig's German cousin, nicknamed "Herr Stig" and "Stiggy Ray Cyrus" (a parody of Billy Ray Cyrus), he was almost identical to the main Stig, wearing white overalls, the main difference being that he had a mullet haircut. He drove the presenters' cheap sports saloons around ''EuroSpeedway Lausitz''.

In Series 18 episode 1, the Stig's Italian cousin was introduced whilst at Imola Circuit in a Lamborghini Aventador, McLaren MP4-12C and a Noble M600. He came out of a motor-home dressed in a suit, followed by three girls to set a lap time in a Ferrari 458 Italia.

In Series 18 episode 2, the Stig's Chinese cousin made his dramatic arrival by karate kicking through a door at the local race track. While in appearance he looks the same as the normal Stig, the Chinese Stig is found to be highly violent and attacks anyone indiscriminately using martial arts. His unruly behaviour caused problems not just for the presenters but also for Top Gear filming crew, flag bearer and a nearby track marshal to which he even interrupted his timed lap of the Roewe 350 in order to attack him.

The U.S. ''Top Gear'', ''Top Gear Australia'' and ''Top Gear Russia'' also feature their own versions of The Stig. Additionally, when ''Top Gear Australia'' visited New Zealand (in series 3 episode 2), they introduced their Stig's Kiwi cousin, "The Stoog".

Temporary Stigs

In the Winter Olympics special, Top Gear used Dan Lang, a Swedish snowmobile champion, to jump a snowmobile.

In the USA Road Trip (aired 21 December 2010), Tiff Needell was brought in as an 'Emergency Stig' to train Danny Boyle on the track.

Other appearances

In June 2008 Stig drove a passenger in a two-seat Formula One car at up to for three laps around the Silverstone Circuit in wet conditions, hours before the start of the 2008 British Grand Prix. The drive was the prize in a charity auction held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital where the winning bidder paid £35,000 for the privilege. Stig appeared at the October 2008 National Television Awards to accept ''Top Gear's'' third award for best factual programme, as the other presenters were ostensibly busy filming the new series. The Stig also appears at ''Top Gear Live'' events, such as the August 2010 Stunt Show at the Nürburgring in Germany, in which he is billed as the star of the show alongside the other stunt drivers and cars, with the other ''Top Gear'' presenters not playing a part. The Stig has also appeared outside ''Top Gear'' in Clarkson's motoring DVDs since 2005. He also appeared before the 2011 British Grand Prix whilst Clarkson and Hammond gave the camera crew a tour of the Top Gear studio.

In the 2011 X Games 17, The Stig can be seen walking in the background during one of Brian Deegan's interviews during Rallycross.

Cultural impact and merchandising

''The Scotsman'' described the Stig in 2008 as a "real-life James Bond able to tame the most powerful cars, while possessing all the mystique of Zorro" ''The Sunday Times'' in 2009 described the Stig as "not a man but an idea, possibly an extraterrestrial", speculating that, along the lines of the Spartacus mythology, that the more people were linked with the character, the stronger the mystery would become. It paid tribute for how long the show had actually kept the secret.

On the question of 'Who is the Stig?', it has been described variously by ''The Telegraph'' as one of the most popular internet search questions of 2009, by ''The Times'' in 2009 as one of the ten most-searched-for terms on the Ask.com internet search engine, and by the ''Sunday Times'' as most-asked question on the internet in 2008. In addition, the ''Sunday Times'' has stated that on-line and text-answering services rated it as one of the most popular questions of all time, along with the meaning of life.

With the BBC asserting that the anonymity of the Stig was a vital part of the show's appeal which was valued by the audience during their legal dispute with HarperCollins, an on-line poll by ''The Guardian'' asking the question "Do we need a new Stig?", returned 64% "Yes - his identity should always be a mystery", against 36% for "No - why the big fuss over a man in a helmet?".

After the High Court judgment allowing Ben Collins to publish his autobiography revealing himself as White Stig, ''The Guardian'' asserted that the question of the character's identity had "always been one of the modern age's greatest mysteries", and immediately posed the question, "if the Stig is dead, then who'll be the new Stig?", adding, "The whole beauty of the Stig is that we don't know who he is. He's just a jumpsuit and a helmet, the contents of which are eminently replaceable".

The Stig has been notionally 'spotted' in the wild in images collected for Google Street View. He was photographed by a Street View car standing on the side of the A82 road in Loch Ness, Scotland. He was also captured by a Street View tricycle in three locations within Legoland Windsor in Berkshire, including riding a go-kart and sitting on a camel. A Street View image taken from the A40 Westway of the Stig apparently standing in a window of the ''Top Gear'' office in BBC Television Centre in West London was reportedly just a cardboard cut-out.

The BBC has capitalised on the mystery behind the Stig by marketing "I AM THE STIG" T-Shirts and variants through the Top Gear shop. Other Stig merchandise has included bubble wash, pens, keyrings, soap on a rope, lunchbags and a "sonic toothbrush".

Through a partnership with Polyphony Digital, The Stig's helmet and overalls are available for purchase in the videogame Gran Turismo 5 and Forza Motorsport 4 as avatar items, which also feature the Top Gear Test Track.

Episode notes

References

External links

Category:Top Gear presenters Category:Top Gear Australia Category:Unidentified people Category:2002 introductions Category:Anonymity pseudonyms Category:Top Gear

ar:ذ ستيغ da:The Stig de:Top Gear#The Stig et:The Stig fa:استیگ fr:Le Stig it:The Stig lv:Stigs ms:The Stig nl:The Stig ja:ザ・スティグ no:The Stig pl:Stig ro:The Stig ru:Стиг simple:The Stig fi:The Stig sv:The Stig uk:Стіґ

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Michael Caine
birth name	Maurice Joseph Micklewhite
birth date	March 14, 1933
birth place	Southwark, London, England, UK
nationality	British
occupation	Actor, author
years active	1956–present
spouse	Patricia Haines(m. 1955–1962; divorced)Shakira Baksh(m. 1973–present)
children	Dominique Caine (b. 1956)Natasha Caine (b. 1973)
relatives	Stanley Caine (brother) }}

Sir Michael Caine, CBE (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both ''Hannah and Her Sisters'' (1986) and ''The Cider House Rules'' (1999).

Caine is one of only two actors nominated for an Academy Award for acting (either lead or supporting) in every decade from the 1960s to 2000s (the other one being Jack Nicholson). In 2000, Caine was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his contribution to cinema.

Early life

Caine was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite in St Olave's Hospital, Rotherhithe, Southwark in South East London, the son of Ellen Frances Marie (née Burchell), a cook and charlady, and Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, a fish market porter. His father was of part Irish and Irish Traveller ancestry and a Catholic, though Caine was brought up in his Protestant mother's religion.

Caine grew up in Camberwell, South London, and during the Second World War he was evacuated to North Runcton in Norfolk. After the war, when his father was demobilised, the family was rehoused by the council in Marshall Gardens at the Elephant and Castle in a pre-fabricated house made in Canada.

The prefabs, as they were known, were intended to be temporary homes while London was rebuilt, but we ended up living there for eighteen years and for us, after a cramped flat with an outside toilet, it was luxury.

In 1944 he passed his eleven plus exam, winning a scholarship to Hackney Downs Grocers School. After a year there he moved to Wilson's Grammar School in Camberwell (now Wilson's School in Wallington, South London), which he left at sixteen after gaining a School Certificate in six subjects. He then worked briefly as a filing clerk and messenger for a film company in Victoria Street and the film producer Jay Lewis in Wardour Street. From 1952, when he was called up to do his National Service, until 1954, he served in the British Army's Royal Fusiliers, first at the BAOR HQ in Iserlohn, Germany and then on active service during the Korean War. Caine has said he would like to see the return of National Service to help combat youth violence, stating: "I'm just saying, put them in the Army for six months. You're there to learn how to defend your country. You belong to the country. Then when you come out, you have a sense of belonging rather than a sense of violence."

Career

When Micklewhite became an actor, he adopted the stage name "Michael Scott". His agent soon informed him, however, that Michael Scott was already using the same name, and that he had to come up with a new name immediately. Speaking to his agent from a telephone box in Leicester Square, London, he looked around for inspiration, noted that ''The Caine Mutiny'' was being shown at the Odeon Cinema, and decided to change his name to "Michael Caine". He has joked in interviews that had he looked the other way, he would have ended up as "Michael One Hundred and One Dalmatians".

1960s

Caine's acting career began in Horsham, Sussex. He responded to an advertisement for an assistant stage manager for the Horsham-based Westminster Repertory Company. This led to walk-on roles at the Carfax Theatre. After dozens of minor TV roles, Caine entered the public eye as the upper class British Army officer Gonville Bromhead in the 1964 film ''Zulu''. This proved paradoxical, as Caine was to become notable for using a regional accent, rather than the Received Pronunciation hitherto considered proper for film actors. At the time, Caine's working class Cockney, just as with The Beatles' Liverpudlian accents, stood out to American and British audiences alike. ''Zulu'' was closely followed by two of his best-known roles: the spy Harry Palmer in ''The Ipcress File'' (1965), and the womanising title character in ''Alfie'' (1966). He went on to play Palmer in a further four films, ''Funeral in Berlin'' (1966), ''Billion Dollar Brain'' (1967), ''Bullet to Beijing'' (1995) and ''Midnight in Saint Petersburg'' (1995). Caine made his first film in the United States in 1966, after an invitation from Shirley MacLaine to play opposite her in ''Gambit.'' During the first two weeks, whilst staying at The Beverly Hills Hotel, he met long term friends John Wayne and agent "Swifty" Lazar.

1970s

After working on ''The Italian Job'' with Noël Coward, and a solid role as RAF fighter pilot Squadron Leader Canfield in the all-star cast of ''Battle of Britain'' (both 1969), Caine played the lead in ''Get Carter'' (1971), a British gangster film. Caine was busy with successes including ''Sleuth'' (1972) opposite Laurence Olivier, and ''The Man Who Would Be King'' (1975) co-starring Sean Connery and directed by John Huston (which he has stated will be the film he wishes to be remembered for after his death). In 1976 he appeared in the screen adaptation by Tom Mankiewicz of the Jack Higgins novel ''The Eagle Has Landed'' as ''Oberst'' (Colonel) Kurt Steiner, the commander of a Luftwaffe paratroop brigade disguised as Polish paratroopers, whose mission was to kidnap or kill the then-British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, alongside co-stars Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Jenny Agutter, and Donald Pleasence. Subsequently in 1978, he starred in ''The Silver Bears'', an adaptation of Paul Erdman's (1974) novel of the same name. Caine also was part of an all-star cast in ''A Bridge Too Far'' (1977).

1980s

By the end of the decade, he had moved to the United States, but his choice of roles was often criticisedhe admitted to and has since made many self-deprecating comments about taking parts, strictly for the money, in numerous films he knew to be bad, despite working with Hollywood's highly regarded directors such as Irwin Allen, Richard Fleischer, Michael Ritchie and Oliver Stone. Caine was averaging two films a year, but these included such failures as the BAFTA Award-nominated ''The Magus'' (1968), the Academy Award-nominated ''The Swarm'' (1978), ''Ashanti'' (1979) (which he claimed were the worst three films of all the other worst films he ever made), ''Beyond the Poseidon Adventure'' (1979), ''The Island'' (1980), ''The Hand'' (1981) and a reunion with his ''Sleuth'' co-star Laurence Olivier in ''The Jigsaw Man'' (1982). Although Caine also took better roles, including a BAFTA-winning turn in ''Educating Rita'' (1983), and an Oscar-winning one in ''Hannah and Her Sisters'' (1986) and a Golden Globe-nominated one in ''Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' (1988), he continued to appear in notorious duds like the thinly veiled skin flick ''Blame It on Rio'', the Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais comedy ''Water'' and the critical-commercial flop ''Jaws: The Revenge'' (1987) (in which he had mixed feelings about the production and the final cut) and ''Bullseye!'' (1990); his appearing in so many films that did not meet with critical or box office acclaim made him the butt of numerous jokes on the subject. Of the former, Caine famously said (primarily about ''Jaws: The Revenge'') "I have never seen the film, but by all accounts it was terrible. However I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific." All these film failures later became cult films among his fans today. His other successful films (either critically and/or financially) were the 1978 Academy Award-winning ''California Suite'', the 1980 Golden Globe-nominated slasher film ''Dressed to Kill'', the 1981 war film ''Escape to Victory'', the 1982 film ''Deathtrap'', and the 1986 Academy Award-nominated ''Mona Lisa''. He also starred in ''Without a Clue'', portraying Sherlock Holmes.

1990s

The 1990s were a lean time for Caine, as he found good parts harder to come by. A high point came when he played Ebenezer Scrooge in the critically acclaimed ''Muppet Christmas Carol'' (1992), which he considers to be one of his most memorable roles. He played the beleaguered stage director Lloyd Dallas in the film adaptation of ''Noises Off'' (1992). He also played a villain in the Steven Seagal film ''On Deadly Ground'' (1994). He was in two straight to video Harry Palmer sequels and a few television films. However, Caine's reputation as a pop icon was still intact, thanks to his roles in films such as ''The Italian Job'' and ''Get Carter''. His performance in 1998's ''Little Voice'' was seen as something of a return to form, and won him a Golden Globe Award. Better parts followed, including ''The Cider House Rules'' (1999), for which he won his second Oscar.

2000s

In the 2000s, Caine appeared in ''Miss Congeniality'' (2000), ''Last Orders'' (2001), ''The Quiet American'' (2002) and others that helped rehabilitate his reputation. Several of Caine's classic films have been remade, including ''The Italian Job'', ''Get Carter'', ''Alfie'' and ''Sleuth''. In the 2007 remake of ''Sleuth'', Caine took over the role Laurence Olivier played in the 1972 version and Jude Law played Caine's original role. Caine also starred in ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' (2002) as Austin's father and in 2003 he co-starred with Robert Duvall in ''Secondhand Lions''. In 2005, he was cast as Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth in the first production of the new ''Batman'' film series. In 2006, he appeared in the films ''Children of Men'' and ''The Prestige''. In 2007 he appeared in ''Flawless'', while in 2008 he reprised his role as Alfred in Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed ''Batman'' sequel, ''The Dark Knight'' as well as starring in the British drama ''Is Anybody There?'', which explores the final days of life.

It was reported by ''Empire'' magazine that Caine had said that ''Harry Brown'' (released on 13 November 2009) would be his last lead role. Caine later declared (in the ''Daily Mirror'') that he had been misquoted by the magazine.

2010s

Caine had a cameo appearance in Christopher Nolan's science fiction thriller, ''Inception''. He voiced Finn McMissile in Pixar's 2011 film ''Cars 2'' and also voiced a supporting role in the animation, ''Gnomeo and Juliet''. He is also set to star in the upcoming 2011 film Journey 2: The Mysterious Island alongside Josh Hutcherson and Dwayne Johnson. Caine will reprise his role as Alfred Pennyworth in the Batman sequel, ''The Dark Knight Rises'', due for release in mid 2012.

Awards and honours

Caine has been Oscar-nominated six times, winning his first Academy Award for the 1986 film ''Hannah and Her Sisters'', and his second in 1999 for ''The Cider House Rules'', in both cases as a supporting actor. Caine is one of only two actors to be nominated for an Academy Award for acting (either lead or supporting) in every decade since the 1960s. The other is Jack Nicholson. The two actors starred together in the 1996 film ''Blood and Wine''.

He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1992 Queen's Birthday Honours, and in the 2000 New Year Honours he was knighted as ''Sir Maurice Micklewhite CBE''. On 5 January 2011, he was made a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France's culture minister, Frédéric Mitterrand.

In 2008, he was awarded the prize for Outstanding Contribution to Showbusiness at the Variety Club Awards.

In popular culture

Caine is a popular subject for impressionists and mimics, having a voice and manner of speaking that are distinctive, yet fairly easy to imitate. Most Caine impressions include the catchphrase "Not a lot of people know that." Peter Sellers initiated this when he appeared on BBC1's ''Parkinson'' show on 28 October 1972 and said: The line had been used earlier in Spike Milligan's script for ''The Last Goon Show of All'', performed on 5 October 1972. In 1983, Caine was given the line to say as an in-joke in the film ''Educating Rita''. The line has also been parodied, along with its impression, in the British sketch comedy show, ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', with Paul Whitehouse as a stalking neighbourhood character called Michael Paine, who introduced himself with the line "My name is Michael Paine, and I am a nosey neighbour." Caine himself parodied the phenomenon in an interview with Michael Parkinson, imitating others' impressions of him and including the catchphrase.

Personal life

Caine lives near Leatherhead, Surrey, and is patron to the Leatherhead Drama Festival. He has also lived in North Stoke, Oxfordshire, Clewer near Windsor, Berkshire, Lowestoft in Suffolk and Chelsea Harbour in London. In addition, Caine owns a unit at The Apogee in Miami Beach, Florida. He still keeps a small flat near where he grew up in South East London. Caine published a volume of memoirs, ''What's It All About?'' in 1992 and told BBC Radio in 2010 he was preparing another, especially for aspiring actors.

He was married to actress Patricia Haines from 1955 to 1958. They had a daughter, Dominique (who was named after the heroine of the novel ''The Fountainhead'' by Ayn Rand). He dated Bianca Jagger in 1968. Caine has been married to actress and model Shakira Baksh since 8 January 1973. They met after Caine saw her appearing in a Maxwell House coffee commercial and a friend gave him her telephone number. They have a daughter, Natasha Haleema.

Some time after his mother died, Caine and his younger brother, Stanley, learned they had an elder half-brother, named David. He suffered from severe epilepsy and had been kept in Cane Hill Mental Hospital his entire life. Although their mother regularly visited her first son in the hospital, even her husband did not know the child existed. David died in 1992.

Trivia books written by Caine include ''Not Many People Know That!'', ''And Not Many People Know This Either!'', ''Michael Caine's Moving Picture Show'' and ''Not A Lot of People Know This is 1988''. Proceeds from the books went to the National Playing Fields Association (now Fields In Trust) of which Caine was a prominent supporter.

Unlike many actors who adopt their stage name for everyday use, Caine still uses his real name when he is not working.

Caine was called up for national service in the British Army in 1951 when he was aged 18 and was deployed to South Korea to help in the aftermath of the North Korean invasion. He served as part of the Royal Fusiliers. He said he had gone into it feeling sympathetic to communism, coming as he did from a poor family. But he has said the experience left him permanently repelled.

Politics

Caine has been open about his political views. He left Britain in the 1970s, citing the 82% tax levied on top earners by the Labour government of the time, but returned to Britain several years later when taxes were lowered:

"I decided not to become a tax exile, so I stayed in Britain, but they kept putting the tax up, so I'd do any old thing every now and then to pay the tax, that was my tax exile money. I realised that's not a socialist country, it's a communist country without a dictator, so I left and I was never going to come back. Maggie Thatcher came in and put the taxes back down and in the end, you know, you don't mind paying tax. What am I going to do? Not pay tax and drive around in a Rolls Royce, with cripples begging on the street like you see in some countries?"

"I voted for Maggie Thatcher because I thought we needed a change from that long period of socialism; I voted for Tony Blair because we had a great long period of Conservatism."

In 2009, Caine openly criticised the Labour government's proposed new 50% tax on top earners:

"The Government has taken tax up to 50 per cent and if it goes to 51 I will be back in America. They have reached their limit with me and that's what will happen to a lot of people. You know how much they made out of that high taxation all those years ago? Nothing. But they sent a mass of incredible brains to America. We've got 3.5 million layabouts laying about on benefits, and I'm 76, getting up at 6 am to go to work to keep them. Let's get everybody back to work so we can save a couple of billion and cut tax, not keep sticking it on."

"You're saying to poor people, 'let's tax those rich gits' and I understand that. You slice up the cake, give everyone a chance, but don't destroy the people that are making the bloody cake! I really believe about taking care of people, I don't mind paying tax. It's how the government spends my tax that I detest, really detest, because I see the waste. More money than all our income tax is spent on benefits. Now you tell me there is nothing wrong with that system."

Caine also stated in 2009 that he was likely to vote for the Conservatives again:

"I'll probably vote Conservative. I mean, we're in a terrible state whichever way you look at it, socially, financially and politically, so just give the other guy a chance. I don't know what Cameron's going to do, but in the end you vote out of desperation. You just have to have someone new and see what happens."

Following the launch of his film ''Harry Brown'', Caine called for the reintroduction of national service in the UK to give young people "a sense of belonging rather than a sense of violence".

During the run up to the 2010 General Election, Caine publicly endorsed Conservative Party policy regarding social exclusion. He appeared with David Cameron for the Conservative leader's launch of a civilian non-compulsary 'National Service' for teenagers.

Musical career

Caine is a fan of chill-out music and has compiled a mix CD called ''Cained'', which was released in 2007 by UMTV. According to Michael Caine, he met Elton John and was discussing musical tastes, when Caine claimed that he had been creating chillout mix tapes as an amateur for years. Also in music, Caine provided vocal samples for the band Madness for their 1984 hit "Michael Caine" as his daughter was a fan. He has sung in film roles as well, including for the musical film, ''The Muppet Christmas Carol''.

Filmography, awards and nominations

References

External links

The official Michael Caine website

in 2010

"The Films of Michael Caine" compilation of film clips, 4 minutes

PLAY DIRTY/Caine Special on Location in Spain

Martyn Palmer, "Double act: Michael Caine and Jude Law (lunch and discussion)", ''The Times'', 17 November 2007

Charlie Rose video interview 3 February 2003

IGN.com interview 18 March 2003

200 years of Michael Caine's family tree

Category:1933 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors awarded British knighthoods Category:Actors from London Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actor Golden Globe winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners Category:British Army personnel of the Korean War Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English film actors Category:English television actors Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Living people Category:Old Wilsonians Category:People from Camberwell Category:People from Leatherhead Category:People from South Oxfordshire (district) Category:People from Southwark Category:Royal Fusiliers soldiers

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