Banksy's true identity was revealed in a 2003 BBC interview that has recently resurfaced.

Banksy, the mysterious street artist whose identity has been a subject of speculation for over 20 years, appears to have finally revealed his true name in a recently unearthed BBC interview from 2003.

The interview, which was recorded 20 years ago on Radio 4 and is now being broadcast as part of a newly released documentary titled The Banksy Story, features the artist speaking to former BBC arts correspondent Nigel Wrench.

At one point during the interview, Banksy seemed to confirm his first name when Wrench asked if he was happy for him to use his name. Banksy simply replied with a 'Yeah', to which Wrench replied, 'Is it Robert Banks?'. Banksy then replied, 'It's Robbie. Robbie. OK. Robbie.'

This recent revelation has reignited the debate of who Banksy really is, with many suspecting Robin Gunningham, the first defendant in a legal action accusing the artist and his company Pest Control Ltd of defamation, or Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack, whose tour dates coincided with a number of Banksy installations. Visual artist Jamie Graham, who helped co-create Gorillaz with Blur frontman Damon Albarn, is another possible contender.

In the interview, Banksy also discussed the anti-authority nature of his work and whether graffiti is considered vandalism. He said, 'If it's done properly it is illegal! 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.'

He continued, '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?'.

The Banksy Story is now available on BBC Sounds and features this recently unearthed interview from 2003, which could possibly provide us with the answer to one of the biggest mysteries in the art world.

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