Nihal Arthanayake

Nihal Arthanayake is an acclaimed broadcaster and TV presenter.

Nihal’s skillset is diverse and far-reaching. He cut his teeth in the music industry as rap recording artist MC Krayzee A when he released Into The Music on Hard Core One on BPM Records. In 1995 Nihal joined The Muddie Funksters and released EP Brown Like Muddie on GO! Discs Records and I’m The M The B The S The B for Hip Hop Connection Magazine. Nihal has also written music articles for Eastern Eye, The Face, Hip Hop Connection, The Observer and The Sunday Times. He was also briefly a member of Collapsed Lung from 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 and 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.

After making his first TV appearance in 1999 on BBC2’s Webwise, Nihal has had a steady flow of TV opportunities. Hosting his own rap show The Drop on MTV Base, the live CBBC show The Saturday Show: Extra and Celebrity MasterChef. He was also a co-host for three series of BBC2’s Asian music, arts and culture show Desi DNA alongside Adil Ray and Anita Rani. In 2004 Nihal presented Channel 4 documentary Where’s Your F*****g Manners? and BBC2’s Art School alongside Keith Allen and Ulrika Jonsson. Nihal has also appeared as a guest panellist on music comedy quizzes Never Mind the Buzzcocks, BBC4’s We Need Answers and Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Year.

In 2014 Nihal was asked by the then Director General of the BBC to join an Independent Diversity Advisory Board alongside Sir Lenny Henry, George The Poet and Dame Floella Benjamin. In 2015 Nihal very publicly took the BBC to task about diversity. Speaking at the Oxford Media Convention of that year he spoke candidly about his experiences and observations that led to articles in The Guardian, Mirror, NME and the BBC’s own news website. In 2020 Nihal asked the question “Is the term BAME problematic?” in an article he was asked to write for GQ Magazine. With over twenty-five years of experience across radio, TV, and journalism Nihal has spoken frequently about how organisations should do and can do better in not only recognising the importance of ethnic diversity but also reflecting the energy needed to implement meaningful change.

Nihal has enjoyed an extensive career, which has already seen him become one of the most recognizable voices of British radio, as well as being one of the UK’s most intelligent and dynamic live event hosts. Nihal is a media phenomenon and is the only host of his generation that is equally comfortable interviewing musicians, politicians, celebrities and members of the public. Nihal has worked extensively with renowned change makers and businesses across the world, leading some of the world’s most challenging live audiences. Clients include Adobe, GQ, X, Hugo Boss, Tottenham Hotspur, Mercedes-Benz, Google and Boots.

Nihal is the author of an award-winning book published by Hachette Let’s Talk: How to Have Better Conversations. Conversations are broken. And while effective dialogue is supposed to lead to greater fulfillment in our personal and professional lives, all the scientific evidence points towards us sharing fewer interactions than previous generations. From ever-decreasing face-to-face meetings to echo chambers online, we no longer have the necessary tools to talk to each other. As the world becomes increasingly more fractured, Nihal has built a platform of listeners, who regard him as one of the best people of his generation at having public conversations. Guests from the world’s biggest stars to leaders of inner-city gangs have lauded his seemingly innate ability to stimulate positive discussions without the need for confrontation. Let’s Talk blends Nihal’s experiences as an acclaimed interviewer with expert and celebrity opinion on the secrets and psychology behind successful communication. Part how-to and part manifesto, Let’s Talk is Nihal’s accessible, anecdotal, and invigorating toolkit to having better conversations with anyone, anytime.

Nihal has been a trustee of the Southbank Centre and the British Council and is currently a Trustee of Home in Manchester and an Ambassador for Prince Charles’ British Asian Trust.