Nihal Arthanayake

Broadcaster and TV Presenter

BBC

Speaker Biography

Nihal is an acclaimed broadcaster and TV presenter. Starting his career over twenty years ago on radio and becoming one of the best-known voices on Radio 1, he presented Radio 5 Live’s Afternoon Show:
Nihal Arthanayake. He will now front a new Sunday evening show on 5Live (8pm-10pm) for unrivalled long form interviews into the worlds of art, books, sport, music, film and TV.

He began his career as rap artist MC Krayzee A, releasing ‘Into The Music’ on BPM Records and later joining The Muddie Funksters. Early in his career he also wrote for publications like Eastern Eye, The Observer, and The Sunday Times, and briefly performed with Collapsed Lung (1992 94).

In 2002, Nihal joined BBC Radio 1, co-hosting Asian Beats with Bobby Friction, which won a Sony Radio Award. He later hosted his own shows, including BBC Radio 1’s Review with Nihal, which won Best Radio Show at the UK Asian Music Awards.

Nihal has also made documentaries for BBC Radio 4 and the World Service, and DJ’d globally. His TV work includes The Drop on MTV Base and BBC2’s Desi DNA and Art School. He has appeared on shows like Never Mind the Buzzcocks and We Need Answers.

A former trustee of the Southbank Centre and British Council, Nihal is now a trustee of HOME in Manchester and an ambassador for the British Asian Trust. He currently hosts Radio 5 Live’s Afternoon Show and the Headliners podcast, and interviews top authors for Penguin Books, including Sir Paul McCartney and Romesh Ranganathan.

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