The wait is over, Top Gear fans. The long-running speculation about The Stig’s true identity is now revealed. Regardless of who he actually is (cough… Ben Collins), the build-up of speculation and subsequent controversy has sent viral discussions throughout the social media landscape.

The truth was finally revealed, thanks to a bunch of corporate attorneys. The BBC sued book publisher HarperCollins for disclosing the current Stig’s identity in a book about race-car driver Ben Collins. The last time the identity of The Stig was uncovered in 2003, his player, Perry McCarthy, left the show immediately. Yep, Top Gear fans, the Beeb will likely be auditioning for a new Stig. Interested?

BBC’s interest in keeping The Stig’s identity a secret is obvious. It has helped build a cult following behind Top Gear, which was once just a show featuring middle-aged men talking about cars.  Top Gear now has 4.4 million fans on Facebook, 69,500 Twitter followers and 346,000 YouTube channel subscribers. The Stig, as a stand-alone entity, has amassed 2.5 million fans on Facebook, making him a defining player in Top Gear’s online persona. In fact, the Top Gear website has even released an iPhone app called “Who is the Stig?” that is intended to kindle the speculating fire.

Who will be the next Stig to take the baton? This is just one of the many topics being discussed on the hundreds of discussion threads on The Stig’s Facebook page, and it has resulted in some characteristic British humor, erm, humour. Take, for example:

Regardless of who becomes the next Stig, we can be sure social media will play a key role in keeping the hidden identity a source for yet more chatter.