THE face behind the helmet on one of the BBC's top shows may have been revealed after the broadcasting giant lost a legal battle.

The High Court has refused to grant a temporary injunction preventing the revelation of the identity of Top Gear's The Stig.

Legal action was taken by the BBC to block publication by HarperCollins of an autobiography which unmasks the faceless mystery driver, claiming he is bound by a confidentiality agreement.

But after more than a day of legal submissions in private before Mr Justice Morgan in London, lawyers for HarperCollins emerged to say the case had concluded in their favour.

It looks as though the show's tame racing driver grew up in Devon.

Some say that on really warm days, he sheds his skin like a snake, and that for some reason he's allergic to the Dutch.

Ben Collins, 33, formerly of Morchard Bishop and a University of Exeter graduate, may well be The Stig as it is his autobiography at the centre of the row.

Mr Collins was in court for part of the hearing yesterday. He left the University of Exeter in 1996 after studying law before entering Formula 3 racing.

He now works as a stunt driver, and featured in several scenes in the James Bond blockbuster Quantum Of Solace.

Having made some on-screen appearances on Top Gear, which is hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, Ben has long been rumoured to also be the mysterious Stig.

After a serious crash a year ago involving Mr Hammond and a jet-powered dragster, Ben was named as an "adviser" to the show in a Health and Safety Executive report. He also listed work for Top Gear in the financial reports of his company.

On the show, The Stig posts lap times in various cars around the Top Gear test track, and trains celebrity guests to drive at high speeds.

The current Stig is the second in the role. The first, Perry McCarthy, was dropped in 2003 after he also spoke about his role in the show in an autobiography.

A BBC statement said: "Today's judgment does not prevent the BBC from pursuing this matter to trial and the BBC will not be deterred from protecting such information from attack no matter when or by whom it should arise."

HarperCollins said it had chosen to "vigorously defend" its right to publish the book, adding that it was "disappointed that the BBC has chosen to spend licence fee payers' money to suppress this book".

Reacting to the court case, presenter Mr May said: "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."