BBC Worldwide is reportedly consulting lawyers over a national ad campaign in the Metro freepaper which featured a character resembling The Stig from Top Gear.

Dressed in white racing suit and helmet, the Stig lookalike featured on a wraparound cover ad promoting Metro’s low-carbon motor festival EcoVelocity.

Text accompanying the ad read “some say he once rode to Norway on a seal”, echoing the introductions used for The Stig on the TV programme.

A spokesperson for BBC Worldwide issued a statement saying: “We were surprised to see the creative that Metro have chosen to promote this event and would like to make it clear that it is not associated with either Top Gear or the Stig character in any way. We are currently assessing our options regards next steps.”