Who is Neil Buchanan? British 'Art Attack' presenter forced to deny he is the elusive Banksy

The children's TV favourite has denied claims he is the graffiti artist, after a fan theory spread like wildfire

'Art Attack' presenter Neil Buchanan, pictured in 2017, has denied he is the street artist known as Banksy. Getty Images

The closest we've ever come to glimpsing the evasive Banksy is when the British graffiti artist made a rare appearance in a video in July.

However, one rumour that's rapidly gained traction on social media claims that the evasive creative is none other than the favourite artist of UK children in the 1990s.

A conspiracy theory identified Neil Buchanan, the presenter of popular British show Art Attack, as the secretive Banksy, in a piece of hearsay that swept Twitter over the past week.

Who is Neil Buchanan?

The TV presenter and artist, 58, hosted Art Attack – a show he also helped to create – during its original run from 1990 to 2007.

The children's series featured Aintree-born Buchanan and other assorted characters, with the educational series focused on various art project suggestions and creations. The show was designed to get children crafting at home, sparking their imagination.

While best known for his work on Art Attack, the TV star also hosted Finders Keepers, a room-raiding game show that was broadcast during the '90s.

Buchanan has been largely out of the public eye in the past decade.

Why do people think he's Banksy?

The theory appears to have originated on Twitter, after user @ScouseMan_ claimed: “Just heard that it’s rumoured Neil Buchanan is Banksy."

"This is straight in the believe without question category," he added.

The Twitter user argued that Buchanan, like Banksy, is also a musician and “art has followed in cities of shows he’s done allegedly”.

His observation resulted in hundreds of commenters sharing their own takes on the rumour.

"I mean he did like to draw on walls," said one Twitter user, sharing an Art Attack screen grab.

"Interesting … Neil Buchanan was known for his big outdoor pieces utilising multimedia props and items to craft uncanny replicas," wrote another.

Even Game of Thrones actor John Bradley, who played Samwell Tarly in the fantasy series, gave his two cents.

"Neil Buchanan is not Banksy," he tweeted. Could Banksy use cardboard tubes from old toilet rolls and different coloured ping pong balls to make a trap so you could tell if anybody had been in your room while you’d been out?"

Is he Banksy?

While the real Banksy may indeed be forced to deny his identity should the truth come out, Buchanan has responded to the viral conspiracy theory, denying he's the anonymous street artist.

The presenter issued a denial on his website, stating he had "spent lockdown with vulnerable members of his family".

"We have been inundated with inquiries over the weekend regarding the current social media story," the statement read.

"Unfortunately this website does not have the infrastructure to answer all these inquiries individually, however, we can confirm that there is no truth in the rumour whatsoever."

So, who is Banksy?

Banksy might be one of the most famous names in the world of art yet you'd have no idea if you walked past him in the street.

He has managed to maintain anonymity despite years of making global headlines, but there are a few things we know about the artist.

We know that Banksy is from Bristol in the UK, indeed ruling out Buchanan.

In a 2006 (anonymous) interview with Swindle magazine, Banksy said: "I came from a relatively small city in southern England. When I was about 10 years old, a kid called 3D was painting the streets hard. I think he'd been to New York and was the first to bring spray-painting back to Bristol. I grew up seeing spray paint on the streets way before I ever saw it in a magazine or on a computer."

Banksy's work has taken him to Paris, New York and Bethlehem, where he opened the Walled Off Hotel in 2017, which directly faces the eight-metre-high concrete wall built by Israel to separate the Palestinian territories.

See some of Banksy’s most famous works in the gallery below:

People take pictures of a new Banksy artwork in Islington, London, in March 2024. Getty Images

A work by Banksy is removed in Peckham, south-east London, in December 2023. Getty Images

Graffiti created by British artist Banksy under a protective screen on the damaged wall of a residential building in Irpin, Ukraine in April 2023. Getty Images

An artwork painted on the side of a property in Herne Bay, Kent in March 2023. PA

The artwork by street artist Banksy, titled 'Valentine's Day Mascara' on the side of a building in Margate, Kent in February 2023. PA

A Reveller walks by a graffiti attributed to Banksy as he arrives at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival in June 2022. Reuters

A Banksy artwork in Nottingham in October 2020. Reuters

Show me the Monet by Banksy at Sotheby's Galleries in London in October 2020. AFP

Banksy's Sunflowers From Petrol Station, inspired by Vincent van Gogh. PA

Banksy captioned the photo of this work Game Changer. Photo: Instagram

A customised stab-proof vest by street artist Banksy at the Design Museum in London. EPA

A Banksy stencil posted on Instagram in June 2020, with a caption asking 'What should we do with the empty plinth in the middle of Bristol?' Photo: Instagram

A Banksy piece inspired by the death of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. Photo: Instagram

Girl with a Pierced Eardrum, in Bristol. Getty

Banksy released a new piece in his bathroom as he worked from home during the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. Photo: Instagram

A Valentine's Day piece by Banksy appeared in Bristol in February 2020. Reuters

A Christmas mural by Banksy in Birmingham, December 2019. The piece made a statement about homelessness. Reuters

Banksy's pop-up shop called Gross Domestic Product in Croydon, London in 2019. AFP

A view of Banksy's migrant child mural, half-submerged in high water in Venice, November 2019. EPA

Devolved Parliament at Sotheby's auction house in London, featuring chimpanzees as MPs in the House of Commons. EPA

A Banksy artwork in Marble Arch, London, at the site of an Extinction Rebellion protest camp. EPA

Love is in the Bin at the Frieder Burda Museum in Baden-Baden, Germany. EPA

There is Always Hope. EPA

Season's Greetings (2018) was painted on a garage in Port Talbot, Wales. Getty

Part of the unauthorised exhibition entitled Banksy, Genius or Vandal? in Madrid, December 2018. EPA

A piece by Banksy, acquired by actor Robin Williams, was among auction items on display in Los Angeles, September 2018. EPA

A Brexit-inspired mural by Banksy in Dover, south-east England. EPA

A veiled woman in mourning beside the Bataclan concert venue in Paris where 90 people where killed by terrorists in November 2015. EPA

An artwork attributed to Banksy showing Napoleon's horse rearing, in Paris, June 2018. EPA

A mural depicting a rat on a popped champagne cork, in Paris, June 2018. EPA

A rat in the inner portion of a clock in New York City, March 2018. EPA

A Banksy mural highlights the imprisonment of Turkish artist and journalist Zehra Dogan, on the Bowery, New York City in February 2019. EPA

A Banksy painting appeared on the first day of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. EPA

Flying Copper on display in Berlin. EPA

The Bridge Farm Primary School where a new mural appeared during half term in Withchurch, England. The mural was a thanks to the school for naming a school wing after Banksy. EPA

The Son of a Migrant from Syria depicting Apple's Steve Jobs in the refugee camp called The Jungle in Calais, France. EPA

Dismaland, a temporary exhibition that opened at a derelict seafront lido in Weston-Super-Mare, England in 2015. Getty

Bomb Hugger after it was defaced in Hamburg, February 2015. EPA

Banksy appeared to comment on methods used by Britain's intelligence services with this piece in Cheltenham. EPA

The Twin Towers in Tribeca appeared in New York in 2013. EPA

A mural by Banksy in Queens, New York. EPA

Three years after Hurricane Katrina wrought havoc in the Gulf of Mexico, Banksy created some commemorative pieces in New Orleans, Louisiana. EPA

Another mural by Banksy in New Orleans. EPA

A Banksy in London, May 2008. EPA

A piece to mark Queen Elizabeth II's golden jubilee appeared on Clink Street, near London Bridge, in May 2002. EPA