Radio Times – 1 September 2026

Summary

Dame Helen Mirren fronts Guy Ritchie's MobLand as the matriarch of a gangster empire, joined by Lara Pulver, Mandeep Dhillon and Teddie Allen — the four women at the heart of series two feature in the 5-11 September 2026 issue of Radio Times, which also marks Star Trek at 60 with William Shatner speaking exclusively.

The issue leads with an autumn drama preview counting 33 new and returning series. Casualty celebrates its 40th anniversary with a spectacular underwater stunt filmed at Pinewood Studios' 20ft-deep stage, where stars Olly Rix and Elinor Lawless undertook days of diving training in water heated to 32 degrees centigrade. Joel Edgerton answers 10 Questions on his sci-fi drama Dark Matter. Abi Morgan's The Split Up moves to a new city with fresh faces, while Michelle Keegan's The Blame tackles workplace misogyny.

MobLand occupies the cover and a full spread with behind-the-scenes photography by Rob Parfitt. Zoe Ball returns to radio after a two-year break. Simon Barnes hails the Women's Super League as women's football enters its finest era. Chaka Khan, the Queen of Funk, still packs a political punch on page 108. Richard Osman unleashes a new cosy-crime bestseller in Books, Joe Swift advises on easy-to-grow edibles, and Fred Sirieix tours luxury hot spots in Travel. The issue also includes a reader survey with a chance to win a 100-pound John Lewis gift card.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.12 · MobLand
Dame Helen Mirren, Mandeep Dhillon, Teddie Allen and Lara Pulver are the women at the heart of Guy Ritchie's gangster drama for series two. Mirren wears a Helen leather coat from Holandcooper.com, diamond ring by Boodles, and shoes by Sole Bliss. The four actors discuss how their characters navigate the violent male world around them. Photographed exclusively for Radio Times by Rob Parfitt. Watch cast interviews on the Radio Times YouTube channel.

▸ Features

p.4 · Casualty — Doctors in Deep Trouble
RT soaps editor Michael Adams visits Pinewood Studios to watch the 40th anniversary stunt: an ambulance sinks beneath the murky waters of a flooded quarry with characters Flynn Byron and Stevie Nash trapped inside. The water stage is heated to 32 degrees; both stars did days of diving training. The series is moving from Holby to a Welsh hospital set at Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, part of BBC plans to reflect the reality of the Welsh NHS. Series make-up designer Kirstie Stanway, a 30-year veteran, keeps a "book of horrors" including a 3D-printed chest cavity used to portray heart surgery.

p.6 · 10 Questions — Joel Edgerton
The star of sci-fi drama Dark Matter on the multiverse, playing multiple versions of himself, and why the role demanded more than a single performance. Edgerton discusses the technical challenges of acting opposite his own digital doubles and what drew him to Blake Crouch's adaptation. A rare interview from an actor who prefers the work to the press tour.

p.18 · This City Is Ours
"Macbeth on the Mersey" returns for a second series, continuing its blend of Scouse gangland drama with Shakespearean tragedy. The cast and creators discuss how the new season raises the stakes from the first run.

p.21 · The Split Up
New city, new faces — Abi Morgan's legal drama has been given a new lease of life. The series moves its ensemble to a fresh setting while keeping the sharp dialogue and ethical dilemmas that defined the original. Morgan's trademark focus on family law and personal betrayal carries over.

p.23 · The Blame
Michelle Keegan's new drama nails workplace misogyny, turning a corporate scandal into a personal reckoning for her character. Keegan steps away from lighter roles to deliver a performance that the Radio Times preview describes as her most serious to date.

p.24 · Zoe Ball
After a two-year break she has been lured back to radio. Ball discusses why she stepped away, what brought her back to the microphone, and how the industry has changed in her absence. A candid conversation about burnout and the pull of live broadcasting.

p.34 · Simon Barnes — Women's Super League
The Women's Super League is back and women's football has never been in finer form, writes Simon Barnes. He argues that the quality of play, tactical depth and crowd engagement have reached levels that demand attention from even traditional football sceptics. Barnes names specific players and clubs driving the standard upward.

▸ Regulars

p.130 · Books — Richard Osman
Richard Osman is unleashing a new book of cosy crime on the bestseller charts, continuing his streak of page-turning mysteries with heart. Osman's Thursday Murder Club formula — wit, warmth and a well-hidden killer — returns with a fresh cast of amateur detectives. First-week sales projections already point to another number-one debut.

p.132 · Gardening — Joe Swift
It's time to sow easy-to-grow edibles, says Joe Swift, with specific recommendations for fast-growing vegetables that still have time to mature before the first frost. Swift suggests varieties of spinach, rocket and winter lettuce that germinate in cool soil and deliver harvests into November. Practical timing advice for the September window.

p.134 · Travel — Fred Sirieix
Tour the world's luxury hot spots with Fred Sirieix, who shares the destinations that deliver genuine value at the top end of travel. Sirieix names specific hotels and resorts where the price matches the experience, drawing on decades in the hospitality industry. A guide for readers who want five-star treatment without the five-star mark-up on every item.

p.144 · RT revisits — William Shatner on Star Trek
As Star Trek turns 60, William Shatner speaks exclusively about playing James T. Kirk. The actor reflects on the show's legacy, its fans, and why he believes the original series endures across generations. A must-read for Trekkies and a fitting tribute to television's most influential sci-fi franchise.

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Editor's Take

The Casualty 40th-anniversary package is this issue's strongest card — Adams's set visit delivers genuine behind-the-scenes reporting (the heated water stage, the 3D-printed chest cavity, the move to Cardiff) that justifies a cover-line mention. The MobLand cover, however, is a promotional portfolio rather than a feature: the fashion credits run longer than the interview quotes, and the four actors' individual insights are thin. The autumn drama preview promises 33 new and returning series but crams most into a single listings spread. On the positive side, Joel Edgerton's 10 Questions is unusually candid for a star of his level, and Simon Barnes on the WSL gives weekly sports coverage some real edge. William Shatner's Star Trek 60th interview will drive newsstand sales among older readers. The back-of-book columns (Osman, Swift, Sirieix) are shorter than in previous issues — likely squeezed by the expanded listings section.

Strengths
• Adams's Casualty set visit with real production detail
• Edgerton's rare and thoughtful 10 Questions
• Shatner's Star Trek 60th exclusive for collectors

Weaknesses
• MobLand cover feature is fashion credits over substance
• Autumn drama preview is a list, not a read

Verdict: Recommended — Strong anniversary content and one genuinely good star interview offset a shallow cover feature; buy it for Casualty and Shatner.