‘Terrifying’ BBC DJ and family caught in three-car motorway crash as he ‘clung onto the steering wheel for dear life’
A POPULAR radio DJ revealed he and his family were in a ‘terrifying’ crash on a motorway.
Nihal Arthanayake, 53, is known as a presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live.
The broadcaster said his wife and son were also present when his car was hit by another vehicle, which had been hit by a lorry, on the M60.
Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Nihal said he “clung on to that steering wheel for dear life” in order to keep his car steady and avoid hitting the central reservation.
Nihal added that he and his family “walked away” from the incident and no one else was injured in the crash, which took place on June 25.
Meanwhile, a picture included with the post showed the rear left wing of the radio DJ’s car hanging off, with a large dint above the wheel arch.
Famous followers rushed to wish Nihal and his family well, including including poet and podcast presenter, George the Poet, Labour MP Dawn Butler, and TV historian David Olusoga.
His caption of the image of the damaged car reads: “Two hours ago a lorry hit a car which hit me on the M60. I clung onto that steering wheel for dear life to try and keep the car steady and not hit the central reservation.
“Wife next to me and son in the back. Terrifying.”
In his comment, George the Poet wrote: “So sorry to hear that bro, but glad no one was hurt.
“Big up you for steering your family to safety.”
One of the radio star’s followers commented: “Glad you’re all ok. Obviously no idea about how or why this happened but the impact on everyone, even the lorry driver could be huge.”
A grateful Nihal replied: “That is a really good point. Spoke to the recovery driver about this.”
Last month it was announced Nihal will leave his daytime show on BBC Radio 5 Live and front a new Sunday evening interview show for the station, as well as an extended podcast.
The former Radio 1 presenter wrote on X: “Hello everyone, some professional news from me.
Nihal Arthanayake's career
Nihal Arthanayake has had a varied career across TV, radio and music. Let's take a look at some of the broadcaster's past work.
- Music career: Before going into his current profession, Nihal was a rap artist known as ‘MC Krayzee A’. In 1988, he released the track ‘ ‘Into The Music’. Meanwhile, he was also briefly a member of alternative hip hop outfit Collapsed Lung.
- Music promotion: In the late 1990s, Nihal turned to music promotion. He worked with a wide range of artists including Elton John, Mos Def, Nitin Sawhney and Judge Jules.
- BBC Radio 1: Nihal joined Radio 1 in 2002, to become co-host of a night time Asian Beats show with DJ Bobby Friction. He left the station in 2014.
- BBC Radio 5 Live: Nihal joined the station’s ‘Afternoon Edition” show, presenting alongside Sarah Brett. It is broadcast Monday-Thursday 1pm-4pm. After Sarah’s departure, the show was renamed Nihal Arthanayake. In May 2024, it was announced that Nihal had quit the show after eight years.
- TV Work: In summer 2021, Nihal was part of the BBC’s coverage team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, broadcasting from Tokyo. He has also appeared on Celebrity MasterChef, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Richard Osman’s House of Games.
“I am leaving daytimes on @bbc5live to concentrate on the aspect of broadcasting I love most, which is in depth long form interviews, which I will continue to do on @bbc5live on Sunday evenings and the Headliners Podcast.
“I also need more time to finish my second book! And have more time to do the things that I never seem to have time to.
“Thank you for being such an incredible audience for the last 8 years! My last daytime show will be 27th June. let’s have a party.”
Nihal’s radio show is broadcast Monday-Thursday 1pm-4pm.