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Perry McCarthy

Former F1 Driver, Top Gear’s Original ‘Stig’, & High-Performance Speaker

Fee Range: $50,000 *

This Keynote Speaker is Exclusively Represented by the Mollie Plotkin Group

F1 Athletes Author Business Change Management Culture Creation Disruption Entrepreneurs

Perry McCarthy is a former Formula One driver, bestselling author, and the original Stig from BBC’s Top Gear, renowned for his hilarious, high-octane keynotes on resilience, risk-taking, and beating the odds.

F1 Sports Speakers Athletes Business Change Management Sales Team Building Leadership

*These fees are subject to change based on factors such as the type of event, travel requirements, and the nature of the appearance.

Meet Perry McCarthy

From North Sea oil rigs to Formula One, Perry McCarthy’s story isn’t just inspirational. It’s unbelievable. Known to millions as the original Stig from BBC’s Top Gear, Perry is a championship-winning driver, best-selling author, and icon in motorsport. His keynotes are equal parts hilarious and high-impact, delivering unforgettable insights on resilience, risk-taking, and outpacing the odds.

With over 1,500 corporate appearances worldwide, Perry is one of the most in-demand speakers for companies looking to energize teams, inspire bold thinking, and navigate high-stakes challenges. Perry McCarthy is available to be booked for corporate and private events. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group today to inquire about Perry McCarthy’s fees.

Want to book Perry McCarthy for an event?

Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group at (215) 995-0905 to book Perry McCarthy for corporate or private events, keynote speeches, workshops, fireside chats, motivational speaking, or virtual appearances. Our agency will work directly with your organization and our keynote speakers to create an unforgettable event.

The Mollie Plotkin Group is the leading keynote speakers agency and entertainment bureau bringing excitement to audiences, clients, and employees. We represent subject-matter experts in every possible field. So whether we’re your partner in creating a memorable meeting or your meeting planner’s secret weapon in securing the perfect keynote speaker, we’re in this with you.

Biography

Beating Million-to-One Odds

Perry McCarthy didn’t come from money. He didn’t come from racing royalty. In fact, he didn’t even start driving until he was 21. Born in East London, Perry funded his earliest racing ambitions by working 14-hour shifts on North Sea oil rigs. When Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone heard Perry’s story, he told him his odds of reaching F1 were “about a million to one.”

But Perry wasn’t deterred. Through sheer grit, relentless determination, and a healthy dose of audacity, he carved his way into motorsport’s most elite ranks, eventually landing a seat in Formula One.

Today, he shares this extraordinary story in a way only Perry can: full of passion, purpose, and his signature British wit.

One Big Gamble

At the height of his Formula 3 success, Perry made a bold move: he traded his house for three races in Formula 2. Even more, it was for a team that, at the time, had a car so bad no one could qualify with it and the team’s drivers had walked away mid-season. Perry had no money, no sponsors, no guarantees, just his belief that he could outperform what everyone expected.

It worked. He qualified in 15th, 16th, and 17th place in all three races. While that might not sound like much, doing so in that car was equivalent to winning a championship. That gamble launched Perry’s path to Formula One, proving that sometimes the biggest wins don’t happen on the top step of the podium, but in how you bet on yourself when no one else will.

Top Gear & Flat Out, Flat Broke

Following his time in F1, Formula Classic, and racing at Le Mans, Top Gear needed an anonymous test driver. So Jeremy Clarkson called Perry.

With a hidden identity known only as “The Stig,” he quickly became one of the most iconic parts of the show. Perry’s time as the black-suited original Stig helped catapult Top Gear to over 215 countries and worldwide acclaim.

Apart from TV, Perry also wrote one of motorsport’s best-selling autobiographies, Flat Out, Flat Broke, which details his career and the hardships he faced while trying to break into Formula One. The second edition includes an addition about his time as The Stig as well.

Lessons in Business, Grit, and Performance

Perry’s story isn’t just for racing fans. It’s for anyone navigating high-stakes environments, battling tough odds, or leading teams through uncertainty. But what truly separates Perry is his take on adversity:

“Not everything I’ve done has turned to gold. I genuinely understand failure. And thank goodness I also understand success. But what I don’t understand is mediocrity. It just does not compute. Nobody wants to fail, but I’d rather go full on at something and fall over on it than trudge my way through life.”

How to Hire Perry McCarthy

Find out how to hire Perry McCarthy to appear at your next event. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group to inquire about Perry McCarthy’s availability and cost. When booking Perry McCarthy for an event, we need to know the type of venue and location the event will take place. Perry McCarthy is a popular choice for corporate events, private events, and virtual events. So, you can click the Check Availability button or contact us and an MPG Perry McCarthy booking agent will get back to you within 48 hours.

Perry McCarthy Booking Fee

How much to book Perry McCarthy depends on the type of event. So, the cost to hire Perry McCarthy for corporate or private events is available by contacting a Mollie Plotkin Group Agent. Notably, Perry McCarthy is available for conferences, festivals, private parties, and events. Just contact the Mollie Plotkin Group and tell the booking agent the proposed date, time, and location.

Speaking Topics & Programs

Hire Perry McCarthy

Perry tailors every keynote to your audience, whether he’s speaking to executives, entrepreneurs, sales teams, or engineers. He’ll make you laugh, make you think, and leave you with stories you’ll remember long after the event ends. Frequently, his keynotes and fireside chats address these overarching themes:

Beat the Odds: How to Create Opportunity When the Door is Slammed Shut

Learn how Perry created career-defining moments in an industry where talent alone wasn’t enough and how those same principles apply to business today.

High-Performance Under Pressure

Drawing from the unforgiving world of motorsport, Perry teaches how to stay focused, resilient, and adaptable in high-stakes situations.

The Real Power of Teamwork (And How I Got It Wrong)

Perry candidly shares how he initially relied on his own determination, and what he learned about empathy, leadership, and high-functioning teams the hard way.

Outperforming Your Environment

You don’t need the fastest car to get noticed. Perry breaks down how your ability to stand out—especially when the odds are against you—is your greatest competitive advantage.

Above all, Perry’s goal is simple:

“I want audiences to walk away remembering this bald English bloke with a big mouth because if they remember me, they’ll remember that no matter how bad things get you can still find a way to win.”

Testimonials

“Perry delivered an outstanding session at our Sales Kick Off and held the room from start to finish. He brought a great level of energy and presence, and his anecdotes were well judged and highly effective for a predominantly sales audience operating under real performance pressure.

He struck an excellent balance between humour, honesty, and insight, making his stories both engaging and relevant. The parallels he drew resonated strongly with the audience and his delivery, authenticity, and storytelling connected well with attendees from all regions.

Perry was also extremely personable throughout the event. He made himself available after the session and gave generous time to individuals who wanted to speak with him and get selfies, many of whom were international attendees. This was noticed and very much appreciated.

The only limitation was time. The audience was clearly keen to ask more questions, but due to the wider agenda we sadly had to move on promptly. With more time for Q and A, the session could easily have gone even deeper.

Overall, Perry was a pleasure to work with and delivered a highly impactful session that aligned well with the tone and objectives of our SKO. I would not hesitate to recommend him for similar audiences or future events.

Big thanks to Perry!” – IT Firm

“Perry is a ball of energy who captured our audience with his storytelling. He spent time before our event understanding our business to get to the heart of the messages in our content, so he could share stories of where his experience aligned with those. If you want a speaker who can bring lots of humor alongside real-life experiences that align with business challenges, look no further than Perry.” – Louise Perfect, Senior Internal Communications Manager, Moore Barlow

“Perry was superb speaker at our recent business conference and mixed the perfect dose of fast paced humor, interest, business messages and fun! The delegates loved it and bombarded him with over half an hour of questions during the open session at the end of his speech! I am not sure how we will top this for next year!” – Claire Burrows, Marketing Manager, De La Rue Identity Systems

“Perry was the ideal choice, his endorsement of the program generated huge media coverage and interest throughout the country. Working with Perry was an absolute pleasure. He really understood and cared about what the program aimed to achieve and he employed enthusiasm and professionalism throughout.

Perry is also a superb speaker; and this, mixed with likability and his dynamic style, made him the perfect ambassador for our company on this occasion.” – Maire Campbell, Public Affairs and Communications Manager, Coca Cola

Books

Flat Out Flat Broke: The Original Stig

Perry McCarthy is an ex Formula One racing driver and was the original ‘Stig’ from the BBC Top Gear TV show. Flat Out Flat Broke is his hilarious and internationally acclaimed autobiography which takes you on Perry’s roller-coaster adventure as he battled on and off the race tracks of the world to fulfill his dream of Grand Prix stardom.

One of the best selling motor racing books of all time, Perry’s story will have you on the edge of your seat either on the verge of tears or howling with laughter at both his bizarre misfortune and his triumphs against the odds. Don't miss it, it's the life story of a battler, a maestro in so many disciplines. But overall Perry McCarthy knows how to recover from failure and create success. From working on oil rigs to fame as The Stig, Flat Out Flat Broke is an utterly fascinating read and you will see why even other racing drivers affectionately call him ‘Mad Dog’!

"Perry McCarthy does for Formula One what Bill Bryson did for travel writing. But beneath the black humour and wisecracks – funny enough to make you laugh out loud in public – lies an inspiring and at times poignant tale of that rarest kind of racer: one who never gave up and was, literally, prepared to die trying." - The Independent on Sunday

"Sometimes books, like cigarette packets, should come with a surgeons health warning. Flat Out Flat Broke is a case in point, not just because it contains photographs of the author in the long forgotten days of his early childhood, but because it will make your stomach ache from laughing." - F1 Magazine

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