Radio 5 host gave his children lumps of coal from Santa as a ruse to get them to behave better... but the attempt left them angry and upset on Christmas Day and 'acting like they'd been dipped in sewage'

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As his children had repeatedly been naughty in the run-up to Christmas, Radio 5 Live presenter Nihal Arthanayake decided they needed to be taught a lesson.

So when the two youngsters excitedly reached for their stockings on Christmas morning they got a shock. Instead of the usual array of traditional festive treats, the only stocking filler each had been given was a lump of coal.

The DJ’s ten-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter also found a note from Santa admonishing them for their bad behaviour. But instead of feeling chastened, their response was one of anger, Arthanayake revealed yesterday. He told listeners to his Afternoon Edition show that he took the unorthodox action because his children had been ‘fighting like cats and dogs’.

Dirty trick: Nihal Arthanayake with his two children. He hoped his Christmas coal stunt would shock the pair into behaving better

He and his wife were aiming for the stunt to be a ‘short sharp shock’ to knock the pair into shape. They felt that having only coal from Father Christmas would be effective as the children also received proper presents – believed to be a pair of trainers and a princess castle – from their parents.

But the ruse backfired and the children were not able to get over the ‘cruel’ gifts left by Santa. They were also upset by Santa’s note – which Arthanayake persuaded a neighbour in North London to write – ‘detailing how naughty they have been and how they have to be much nicer to each other’. The former Radio 1 presenter, 46, said it left a dark cloud over Christmas Day with the two children acting like they’d been ‘dipped in sewage’.

His son ‘took it very personally’ despite being of an age when it is unlikely he would believe in Father Christmas – threatening to write a rude letter to Santa next year telling him off for being overweight. ‘My son is going to fat-shame Santa,’ Arthanayake said.

Explaining the reason for wanting to teach the children a lesson, he said: ‘They’ve been a bit naughty in December so we decided to put coal in their stockings, and then we got a neighbour to write a letter pretending to be Santa basically admonishing them for their terrible behaviour.

When Arthanayake – who was born in Harlow, Essex, to Buddhist Sri Lankan parents – tweeted about the plan gone awry, he received a mix of responses from other parents

‘We thought because we bought them presents as well that this would be fine, they’ll get over it. We try to come up with these policies that are supposed to effect change, but what happens? They just backfire badly.’

The stunt was reminiscent of a plotline from one of the Mr Men books by Roger Hargreaves, in which Mr Mean gives his brother a lump of coal as a Christmas present every year.

When Arthanayake – who was born in Harlow, Essex, to Buddhist Sri Lankan parents – tweeted about the plan gone awry, he received a mix of responses from other parents.

‘This is hilarious! So doing this next year,’ one father tweeted. But a mother, Rani Sybah, wrote: ‘So mean!!’

Another mother, Farrah S, said she tried a similar tactic with her daughter: ‘I got my sister to write my youngest a letter from Santa saying that she could have one present and the rest if she behaves tomorrow. I fear tears too.’