Former Art Attack presenter and all-around British childhood icon Neil Buchanan has been forced to deny that he is the elusive street artist Banksy after speculation ramped up online.
Of course, there was never any great proof that Buchanan could be Banksy, but that hasn't stopped things from spiralling wildly out of control on the internet.
Now, in a post on his website entitled 'Neil Buchanan is NOT Banksy', the artist and presenter has set the record straight once and for all.
It 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.
"Neil spent lockdown with vulnerable members of his family and is now preparing to launch his new art collection in 2021.
"Thank you and please stay safe."
Well, that's a fairly robust denial, isn't it?
Unless - and let's think laterally about this for a second - that's exactly what he wants us to think? Surely anyone who was actually Banksy would vehemently deny any involvement, wouldn't they?
Anyway, it's unlikely that the popular artist is really Banksy, and there's simply no evidence at all other than a fantastical tweet shared the other day by a user called 'Scouseman' - which is more likely to be an alter-ego of Buchanan than Banksy.
He is from Aintree - perhaps he's both Banksy and Scouseman. That would be something.
The tweet read: "Just heard that it's rumoured Neil Buchanan is Banksy. If true, it's the funniest s*** ever. Aintree's finest.
"He's a musician and art has followed in the cities of shows he's done allegedly.
"This is straight in the believe without question category."
The tweet quickly gained traction, with fans of Buchanan all too happy to believe that he could have been responsible for some of the mysterious graffiti artist's work.
It's all just one Big Art Attack, isn't it?
One person responded: "YES PLEASE. Am not reading any more about this and this is going to be my truth from now."
Another added: "They say not to believe everything you read online but I 100 percent believe this. Don't even need to look up the cities for confirmation. Neil is Banksy, Banksy is Neil."
However, not everyone believes this wonderful theory.
Some referenced a 2017 interview conducted by Scroobius Pip with DJ Goldie.
In their chat, Goldie seemed to reveal Banksy's real name, adding further fuel to the theory that Rob Del Naja from Bristolian trip-hop band Massive Attack is the secretive stencil scrawler.
Goldie said: "For something like graffiti, which has inspired the world with font or anything to do with anyone wearing a baseball cap and sneakers, at its centre it is still misunderstood.
"But give me a bubble letter and put it on a T-shirt and write Banksy on it and we're sorted... We can sell it now.
"No disrespect to Rob, I think he is a brilliant artist. I think he has flipped the world of art over."
Hey, maybe anyone with a stencil and an idea can be Banksy, which means that Buchanan isn't completely out of the picture yet...
Featured Image Credit: ITVTopics: UK News, TV and Film, Celebrity, Art, UK Entertainment, Weird