Nihal Arthanayake
Award-winning radio host
History and English Literature, 1992
Award winning radio host Nihal Arthanayake has previously presented BBC Radio 1’s Asian Beats and Weekend Breakfast Show. Nihal presented the afternoon show on Radio 5 Live for eight years, which features conversation on topical issues and interviews with big names. Nihal currently presents the BBC Sounds Podcast Headliners, where he interviews some of the biggest stars in the music industry. In 2023, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from St Mary’s.
“It was St Mary's that took a chance on me. I'm forever grateful for that.”
From Richmond to the radio
Nihal came to St Mary’s in the early 90s, getting an undergraduate degree in History and English Literature. One of the things that stood out to him about the University was the beautiful location of the campus right by the Thames, as well as the Gothic architecture of Strawberry Hill House.
Having grown up in Essex but spending a lot of time in London as a teenager, St Mary’s seemed like a good opportunity for Nihal to gain some independence but not be too far from home. He shares that it was an extraordinary experience leaving home to live on campus in his first year, followed by finding student housing around Twickenham for the rest of his time at St Mary’s.
Nihal sees his time at St Mary’s as being an amazing yet unusual experience, even compared to other universities. One event that stuck out was the 1991 Rugby World Cup, as the Australian Rugby team came and trained at St Mary’s while he was there.
St Mary’s also gave Nihal the opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds and areas of the country. He shares that he’d never really been around anyone outside of the South East before St Mary’s, and that he got to meet people from Ireland and Wales for the first time.
“To have one of the finest examples, if not the finest example, of Gothic architecture in the UK right on your campus is quite incredible.”
Nihal Arthanayake receives his Honorary Doctorate from St Mary's.
During the course of his degree, Nihal ended up majoring in History as he found he was more interested in those topics versus the English ones. He wrote his dissertation on King James VI of Scotland, who went on to become James I of England.
Outside of academia, Nihal was in a band and signed to a record company. He shares balancing his studies with touring was hard at times, but he also used his love of music to help organise a rave on campus. Called ‘Simmposium’, Nihal and his friends hired DJs to play the event.
“It was weird being a student but then you're also touring, doing gigs, and being played on Radio 1.”
After graduating from St Mary’s, launched his national broadcast career in 1999 with BBC TV appearances, before joining BBC Radio 1 as the host of Asian Beats with DJ Bobby Friction in 2002. He won a Sony Radio Award in 2003.
Nihal then went on to present the Radio 1 Weekend Breakfast Show in 2007, where he was one of only two DJs to present both a mainstream and a specialist show on the channel.
In September 2016, Nihal began presenting the afternoon show on Radio 5 Live, which features conversation on issues affecting the UK and wider world, as well as interviews with celebrities, politicians, and thinkers. He did this for eight years, before leaving the show in 2024.
He currently presents the BBC Sounds Podcast Headliners, where he interviews some of the biggest names in the music industry, including fellow Simmie Tom Grennan.
“I've proven myself by being a multi-award winning broadcaster and working with people like Penguin. But, it was St Mary's that took a chance on me initially.”
While other universities rejected Nihal for his A Level grades, it was St Mary’s who offered him a place and gave him a chance to prove himself. He shares that before coming to university, he didn’t really care about his education and wasn’t expected to have a successful career like he has done.
Instead, Nihal found himself surrounded by people who wanted to learn and have great conversations. For the first time, Nihal didn’t see learning as a chore and started to actually enjoy the process.
He shares that St Mary’s was a great place for him, and that he’s really glad the University took a chance on him when other places wouldn’t have done.
“St Mary's fantastically helped me by giving me a shot. It was St Mary's that took a chance on me. I'm forever grateful for that.”
