

Headliners with Nihal Arthanayake
BBC Radio 5 Live
Nihal Arthanayake presents in-depth interviews with headline guests across entertainment, sport, culture and politics.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 8, 2024 • 44min
Jeffrey Wright
“I didn’t watch the [Oscars] announcements, because I didn’t want to have to repair any screen damage if the news wasn’t to my liking!”American actor Jeffrey Wright talks to Nihal about his new film ‘American Fiction’ and explains how it feels to get an Oscar nomination.

Feb 1, 2024 • 32min
Matthew Vaughn
“Movie stars, sadly, are a dying breed”.
Matthew Vaughn, director, producer, and writer - known for the Kingsman franchise, KickAss, and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - is back with a new movie - a spy action comedy film called Argylle.
He tells Nihal Arthanayake that he thinks that times are changing in the movie industry - and you can no longer guarantee that a film will be a massive hit in the box office - just because you have a big name star in it.

Jan 19, 2024 • 27min
Adeel Akhtar
'I just really enjoyed the idea of this tiny, dishevelled, half pint Luther....popping about the place trying to solve crimes.' Actor Adeel Akhtar talks to Nihal Arthanayake about his role as DS Sami Kierce in the new smash hit Netflix show 'Fool Me Once'.

Jan 4, 2024 • 40min
Dr Rangan Chatterjee
‘It’s about progress not perfection’
Dr Rangan Chatterjee talks to Nihal Arthanayale about keeping a journal, things to be grateful for, and how to make every day just a little bit better.

Dec 28, 2023 • 33min
Jamie Dornan
“Just when I thought I knew where it was going, and what kind of a show it was, it would just do a one-eighty” - Actor Jamie Dornan in conversation with Nihal Arthanayake about the new series of The Tourist and his lifelong love for Manchester United.

Dec 21, 2023 • 35min
Jonathan Pryce and Dominic West
Someone like me can't turn down a part like Charles. He's so interesting. He's so complex.”
Dominic West, who played Prince Charles in the last two seasons of The Crown, and Jonathan Pryce who portrayed Prince Philip – tell Nihal Arthanayake about the success of the show, how they prepared for their respective roles, and where they were when they learned of the death of Princess Diana.

Dec 21, 2023 • 26min
Sheridan Smith
“When do I tell them I can’t swim”. The award winning film, tv and stage actor Sheridan Smith, talks to Nihal Arthanayake about being a parent, her new role in a show about being cast away on a desert island, and why she never learned to swim.

Dec 20, 2023 • 46min
Ricky Gervais
“I’m offended” is quite meaningless’. The comedian and actor talks to Nihal Arthanayake about his new stand-up special, Armageddon, the nature of offence, and why he’s going to stop explaining his jokes to people who don’t like them.

Dec 14, 2023 • 30min
Rebecca Ferguson
“The experience for women and men in music is very, very different”The singer talks to Nihal Arthanayake about her successful musical career, and using her voice to speak out about exploitation in the music industry.

Nov 30, 2023 • 23min
Ian Broudie
“If you didn’t like it, you listened to it ‘til you liked it”Singer-songwriter and Lightning Seeds frontman, Ian Broudie, chats to Nihal Arthanayake his lifelong love of music, his memoir, and being back on tour. As well as his memories of how ‘Three Lions’ was first received by the England Squad of the time.