• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Lost recording of Banksy unearthed after 20 years exposes his real voice

Home> News> UK News

Published 09:06 21 Nov 2023 GMT

Lost recording of Banksy unearthed after 20 years exposes his real voice

He sounds a bit like Stephen Merchant doing a voice

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

Featured Image Credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Stock Photo

Topics: Banksy, Art, UK News, BBC

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

X

@MrJoeHarker

Advert

Advert

Advert

It's a question that's preyed on the minds of art lovers everywhere... just who is Banksy?

The mysterious and anonymous artist is definitely not that bloke off Art Attack and some folks reckon they're sure who's behind the street art, but you can't be 100 percent certain.

While we know precious little about him there are the occasional snippets where you can get a bit more information on them.

Take, for example, a recently recovered recording of someone claiming to be the real Banksy during an interview with the BBC 20 years ago.

Advert

This was done back when Banksy was setting up their 'Turf War' show in London and spoke to Nigel Wrench about their art.

Just who is Banksy? We don't know but you can hear what he sounds like.
Getty Stock Photo

In the interview Banksy sounds a bit like Stephen Merchant doing a voice, but the accent tallies with another interview done with someone saying they were the mysterious artist.

During the chat he answered questions on whether what he was doing was vandalism and illegal.

He said: "Yeah. If it's done properly it is illegal!

Advert

"But I got a good reaction I think off most people from my work. You know, I've even had policemen in the past say they kind of like things about it, but... I just think it's my right to go out and paint it.

"And it is equally somebody else's right to go out and paint over it if they don't like it, you know?

"It doesn't actually take very long with a bucket of white paint to paint over things. I think it's better if you treat the city like a big playground, you know?... It's there to mess about in, you know?"

Banksy discussed vandalism and his mum's roast dinners in the unearthed interview clip.
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

The 20-year-old lost recording will be played in full as part of a special episode of The Banksy Story, which will be available from today (21 November) on BBC Sounds.

Advert

This special episode follows on from a 10-part series on BBC Radio 4 which charted Banksy's career and what we know about the artist.

Banksy said during the interview 20 years ago that his name was 'Robbie Banks', though whether that's true or not is anyone's guess.

We could soon learn Banksy's real name as the artist has been sued for defamation and may need to be named in official court proceedings.

The lawsuit is also being brought against a man named Robin Gunningham, who has sometimes been suspected of being Banksy.

Choose your content:

14 mins ago
an hour ago
2 hours ago
  • TLCTLC
    14 mins ago

    British gran reveals how she came to suspect younger Gambian fiancé’s ‘sister’ was actually his wife

    She's been supporting his family and even bought him an iPhone

    News
  • YouTube/ Dmitry SinitsynYouTube/ Dmitry Sinitsyn
    an hour ago

    Climber stuck 23,000ft up mountain ‘presumed dead’ after ‘no signs of life’ found

    Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsina is suspected to have died after she broke her leg and became stuck 23,000 feet up Victory Peak

    News
  • Facebook/Amie UptonFacebook/Amie Upton
    an hour ago

    Funeral director who kept body of baby 'watching cartoons' in living room says she did nothing wrong

    She's stood by her actions after facing huge backlash

    News
  • XX
    2 hours ago

    Suspected Minneapolis school shooter posted haunting video laughing and showing off guns before allegedly killing two students

    The shooter opened fire through the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis on Wednesday

    News
  • Banksy has identity ‘revealed’ in newly released BBC interview from 2003
  • Banksy confirms his real name in unearthed recording
  • Banksy's former manager and best mate speaks out about artist's secret identity
  • Radio 1's Greg James reveals it's not actually his real name after 17 years on air