we've had banksy�*s people on the phone and they want to bring a project to bristol museums.ell, i couldn't believe it. fans flock to his work, but with public art comes risks. crowd gasp, shout four very large gentleman turned up with sledgehammers to destroy it. i thought, "this guy understands messaging." it's become one of the most famous and notorious incidents in the history of modern art. from animals popping up across london, to dismaland, we explore the art, the man and the tactics. he is the picasso of the 21st century. he's prolific, he's profound. this is banksy: the mystery. a quiet monday morning in london in the summer of 2024, and there it appeared — a stencilled mountain goat precariously perched on a ledge in richmond, west london. in quick succession, more artworks appeared. monkeys hanging from a railway bridge. two elephants lovingly reaching for each other�*s long trunks from opposite windows. again, banksy had managed to get all of us talking and wondering what this new animal trail across london was all about. what's the message behind these new pieces

we've had banksy�*s people on the phone and they want to bring a project to bristol museums.sledgehammers to destroy it. i thought, "this guy understands messaging." it's become one of the most famous and notorious incidents in the history of modern art. from animals popping up across london, to dismaland,

the most comprehensive was in his home town, called banksy versus bristol museum, in 2009. having us on." it transpired it was true, and it grew and grew to what became banksy versus bristol museum. it was a bit of a love letter to his home city. normally, when you work with an artist or...or a partner to make an exhibition, of course it's all about advance publicity and getting interest. but with him, of course, it was all about it had to be kept quiet, because it had to be something that was launched on the public at the very last minute, which is the way they work to build excitement and for it to be a surprise. archive: all day, thousands have queued patiently - normally, when you work with an artist or...or a partner to make an exhibition, of course it's all about advance publicity and getting interest. but with him, of course, it was all about it had to be kept quiet, because it had to be something that was launched on the public at the very last minute, which is the way they work to build excitement and for it to be a surprise. archive: all day, thousands have queued

they may be put in a, in a, in a place that's in a museum rather than in the middle of bristol. objected to was that the people who tore down the statue behaved as if they were a lynch mob. yes. and they were a lynch mob. yes. and they behaved as if they were literally lynching this person. and they were kicking that that statue and they were laughing . statue and they were laughing. and what should have been a very august important occasion turned into this riotous behaviour, which tells me quite a lot about the people who were involved in toppling that statue. >> it's very interesting that you think statues should be preserved, but moved. i mean , preserved, but moved. i mean, for example, forgive me, i celebrated when i saw saddam hussein's statue being torn down at the time of what appeared to me to be the liberation of iraq. so was i. was i wrong to feel joy so was i. was i wrong to feel joy about that? i mean, should all saddam's statues be in storage somewhere? should all hitler's statues be in storage somewhere? because. because they are historically relevant? >> i don't