In a groundbreaking development, a lost BBC interview with street artist Banksy has been discovered in which the elusive artist reveals his name. The recording from 2003, conducted by former BBC arts correspondent Nigel Wrench, sheds new light on the mysterious figure behind some of the most iconic works of art in recent memory.

The interview took place during the opening of Banksy’s Turf War show in East London and was broadcast on the BBC’s PM programme later that year. However, not all of the material was used and it remained largely unknown until recently when Wrench listened to the podcast ‘The Banksy Story’ which prompted him to record the entire interview on a minidisc at his home.

In this never-before-published material, Banksy defends vandalism as art and explains how he approaches his work. “It’s a quicker way to get your point across,” he said. “In the same way my mother used to prepare Sunday roast every Sunday and say every Sunday that ‘it takes hours to prepare a meal and minutes to eat it’, she today is eating a meal for one person that she reheats in the microwave and seems much happier.”

When asked about graffiti being considered vandalism and illegal, Banksy replied: “Get out! Throw things in the trash! Have fun!” This is particularly interesting given that there have been ongoing debates about whether or not street art should be classified as vandalism or not.

The British media had previously announced that Banksy’s real name is Robert Banks, that he was born in 1974. Despite this revelation, his true identity remains shrouded in mystery and speculation continues about who he really is. But one thing is certain – his satirical works continue to intrigue and inspire people around the world with their anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-establishment or libertarian messages.