ART ATTACK
Is Neil Buchanan Banksy?
NEIL Buchanan made his name as a children's television presenter in the 1980s.
But is the TV legend also the secret identity of the world's most famous street artist — Banksy?
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Who is Neil Buchanan?
Neil Buchanan — born on October 11, 1956 — came to prominence in the 1980s when he co-hosted ITV Saturday morning shows No.73 and its successor Motormouth.
Buchanan then landed his very own children's show, Art Attack, which ran for 17 years between 1990 and 2007.
The programme, which encouraged children to draw, paint and papier-mâché to their heart's content, was so popular it won a BAFTA TV Award in 1993.
Neil became known for his eternally cheerful demeanour and catchphrase: “Now try it for yourself”.
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Buchanan has said he welcomes the idea of an Art Attack revival.
"It’s the 30th anniversary of Art Attack, so I would be open to that. Of course I would," he told the Metro last year.
Neil added: "That would be great fun, as long as I could do it with the people who did it with me before.
"It's funny, actually, because no one's ever asked me that. You've got me thinking about it now.
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"No one has ever said to me, 'Would you come back and do it again?' The answer is yes, I would."
Neil was also the painter Smarty Arty from Zzzap, another CITV classic, which ran between 1993 and 2001.
A fan of the former show was seemingly still bamboozled at the actors' crossover and penned on Twitter: "It still blows my adult brain every time I remember the painter from Zzzap was also Neil Buchanan from Art Attack."
The tweet gained attention from other fans of the show who had only just discovered the truth as one person penned: "'This is an absolute revelation."
Another proclaimed: "No! It's crazy, I never noticed that."
A third person followed with: "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!"
A fourth added: "It's so obvious now!"
Neil also briefly returned to our TV screens in 2012 as a contestant on Celebrity Juice.
Although he continues to create artwork in his spare time, his energy now goes into music.
In a 2011 interview with the , he admitted music had always been his first love.
The eccentric TV star formed the rock group Marseille in his native Liverpool in 1976.
They released several albums and singles and supported bands such as Judas Priest, Nazareth, Whitesnake and UFO on tour.
However, Neil quit the band in the early Eighties to become a TV regular.
Speaking about reviving his rock band, he said: “I'm a musician first — that's what runs through my blood.
“I was a failed rock star first time around... So getting five fortysomethings back together into the music business, which is dead, in a genre of music that hasn't been heard of since the dinosaurs… that's been my greatest achievement.”
His TV fame saw him become a household name, and easily recognisable by his clean-shaven appearance and red jumper.
However, the star now looks very different performing in his heavy rock band.
He now spots salt and pepper long locks that cover his forehead and rugged stubble.
Is Neil Buchanan Banksy?
In September 2020, a conspiracy theory claiming that Neil was the secretive UK street artist Banksy went viral.
Banksy’s identity has famously remained unknown to the public and mystery has surrounded the real identity of the street artist for decades.
The rumour began to circulate when a Twitter user suggested it was “rumoured” that Buchanan was in fact the mind behind artworks like Balloon Girl and Love is in the Bin.
“Just heard that it’s rumoured Neil Buchanan is Banksy,” they wrote.
“If true, it’s the funniest s*** ever. Aintree’s finest… This is straight in the believe without question category.”
They explained that the theory was given credibility by the fact that Buchanan, like Banksy, is a musician and “art has followed in cities of shows he’s done allegedly”.
The claim then swept the internet, with one person arguing Buchanan is known for his "big outdoor pieces utilising multimedia props".
“I’m here for this conspiracy theory," wrote another user.
Neil issued an unequivocal denial of the rumour he is Banksy on his website.
The statement reads: "We have been inundated with enquiries over the weekend regarding the current social media story.
"Unfortunately this website does not have the infrastructure to answer all these enquiries individually, however we can confirm that there is no truth in the rumour whatsoever."
There are plenty of other theories about the identity of Bristolian Banksy.
He gave fans one brief glimpse of himself in an unearthed TV interview from 20 years ago.
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The footage was filmed in 2003 ahead of his Turf War exhibition — but then lay in a vault for nearly twenty years.
Banksy had a busy year when the rumours about Neil Buchanan were started, unveiling artworks on a hospital wall and in an underground train carriage.
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