{"id":237325,"date":"2023-09-29T15:15:04","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T15:15:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/?p=237325"},"modified":"2023-09-29T15:15:04","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T15:15:04","slug":"is-neil-buchanan-banksy-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/world-news\/is-neil-buchanan-banksy-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Neil Buchanan Banksy? | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"
NEIL Buchanan made his name as a children's television presenter in the 1980s. <\/p>\n
But is the TV legend also the secret identity of the world's most famous street artist \u2014 Banksy?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Neil Buchanan\u00a0\u2014 born on October 11, 1956 \u2014 came to prominence in the 1980s when he co-hosted ITV Saturday morning shows No.73 and its successor Motormouth.<\/p>\n
Buchanan then landed his very own children's show, Art Attack, which ran for 17 years between 1990 and 2007.<\/p>\n
The programme, which encouraged children to draw, paint and papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 to their heart's content, was so popular it\u00a0won a\u00a0BAFTA\u00a0TV Award in 1993.<\/p>\n
Neil became known for his eternally cheerful demeanour and catchphrase: \u201cNow try it for yourself\u201d.<\/p>\n
Buchanan has said he welcomes the idea of an Art Attack revival.<\/p>\n "It\u2019s the 30th anniversary of Art Attack, so I would be open to that. Of course I would," he told\u00a0the Metro\u00a0last year.<\/p>\n Neil added: "That would be great fun, as long as I could do it with the people who did it with me before.<\/p>\n "It's funny, actually, because no one's ever asked me that. You've got me thinking about it now.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n "No one has ever said to me, 'Would you come back and do it again?' The answer is yes, I would."<\/p>\n Neil was also the painter Smarty Arty from Zzzap, another CITV classic, which ran between 1993 and 2001.<\/p>\n A fan of the former show was seemingly still bamboozled at the actors' crossover and penned on\u00a0Twitter: "It still blows my adult brain every time I remember the painter from Zzzap was also Neil Buchanan from Art Attack."<\/p>\n 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."<\/p>\n Another proclaimed: "No! It's crazy, I never noticed that."<\/p>\n A third person followed with: "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!"<\/p>\n A fourth added: "It's so obvious now!"<\/p>\n Neil also briefly returned to our TV screens in 2012 as a contestant on\u00a0Celebrity Juice.<\/p>\n Although he continues to create artwork in his spare time, his\u00a0energy now goes into music.<\/p>\n In a 2011 interview with the\u00a0BBC, he admitted music had always been his first love.<\/p>\n The eccentric TV star formed the rock group Marseille in his native Liverpool in 1976.<\/p>\n They released several albums and singles and supported bands such as Judas Priest, Nazareth, Whitesnake and UFO on tour.<\/p>\n However, Neil quit the band in the early Eighties to become a TV regular.<\/p>\n Speaking about reviving his rock band, he said: \u201cI'm a musician first \u2014 that's what runs through my blood.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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\u2026 that's been my greatest achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n His TV fame saw him become a household name, and easily recognisable by his clean-shaven appearance and red jumper.<\/p>\n However, the star now looks very different performing in his heavy rock band.<\/p>\n He now spots salt and pepper long locks that cover his forehead and rugged stubble.<\/p>\n In September 2020, a conspiracy theory claiming that Neil was the secretive UK street artist Banksy went viral.<\/p>\n Banksy\u2019s identity has famously remained unknown\u00a0to the public and mystery has surrounded the real identity of the street artist for decades.<\/p>\n The rumour began to circulate when a Twitter user suggested it was \u201crumoured\u201d that Buchanan was in fact the mind\u00a0behind artworks like Balloon Girl and Love is in the Bin.<\/p>\n \u201cJust heard that it\u2019s rumoured Neil Buchanan is Banksy,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cIf true, it\u2019s the funniest s*** ever. Aintree\u2019s finest\u2026 This is straight in the believe without question category.\u201d<\/p>\n They explained that the theory was given credibility by the fact that Buchanan, like Banksy, is a musician and \u201cart has followed in cities of shows he\u2019s done allegedly\u201d.<\/p>\n The claim then swept the internet, with one person arguing Buchanan is known for his "big outdoor pieces utilising multimedia props".<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here for this conspiracy theory," wrote another user.<\/p>\n Neil issued an unequivocal\u00a0denial of the rumour he is Banksy\u00a0on his website.<\/p>\n The statement reads: "We have been inundated with enquiries over the weekend regarding the current social media story.<\/p>\n "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."<\/p>\n There are plenty of other theories about the identity of Bristolian Banksy.<\/p>\n He gave fans one brief glimpse of himself\u00a0in an unearthed TV interview from 20 years ago.<\/p>\n The footage was filmed in 2003 ahead of his Turf War exhibition \u2014 but then lay in a vault for nearly twenty years.<\/p>\n Banksy had a busy year when the rumours about Neil Buchanan were started, unveiling artworks\u00a0on a hospital wall\u00a0and\u00a0in an underground train carriage.<\/p>\n<\/picture>ART ATTACK <\/span><\/p>\n
Banksy worth thousands could be DESTROYED in weeks from looming danger<\/h3>\n
<\/picture>TAKING IT TO THE BANK <\/span><\/p>\n
I worked for Banksy – he acted in a way I never would have imagined<\/h3>\n
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