The Sunday Times Magazine – August 9, 2026

Summary

Peter Schlesinger, 78, tells Ben Hoyle he "heated the term muse" in The Sunday Times Magazine (9 August 2026) cover story — the first major interview since David Hockney's death, covering their five-year relationship, the famous pool paintings and why he kept three Hockney drawings on his wall "beyond the bitterness". Elsewhere, Lee Child explains leaving Trump's America for the Lake District and turning down the Bond franchise, while Kristin Harila faces renewed scrutiny over the K2 "death zone" ethics row.

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The 9 August issue is built around three heavyweight features. The 8-page Hockney cover story follows Schlesinger from his first meeting with the 28-year-old artist at UCLA through their life in London and Santa Monica to their traumatic split in Cadaques in 1971 — Schlesinger left Hockney for the fashion illustrator Eric Boman. Lee Child (real name James Grant) tells Nick Rufford why he left the US after 46 years, citing US political direction, and why he said no to writing a James Bond novel. Matthew Campbell investigates Kristin Harila's 2023 record climb of all 14 peaks over 8,000m and the footage that appeared to show her team stepping over a dying Sherpa guide on K2. Deborah Cohen's perimenopause feature interrogates whether women are being prescribed HRT too young, citing Professor Martha Hickey of the University of Melbourne and GP Margaret McCartney's social media content analysis.

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Regular columns round out a strong issue. Relative Values pairs cricket commentator Henry Blofeld with his nephew Piers, revealing how Ian Fleming named Bond's nemesis after finding "Blofeld" in the Boodle's membership book. That's My Job follows an air traffic controller through bird strikes and annual sight tests. Mark Diacono's recipes focus on summer salads with fruit and the importance of pasta water. Camilla Long reviews a Northumbrian restaurant in Berkhamsted. Jeremy Clarkson drives the Peugeot 408. Stockard Channing, 82, closes with A Life in the Day ahead of her directorial debut at the Edinburgh Fringe with Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape. Matt Rudd's opening column tackles holiday photography obsession.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.24 · We are not a muse: Peter Schlesinger on his life with — and after — Hockney
Ben Hoyle interviews Schlesinger in his Manhattan apartment, still surrounded by Hockney drawings (an etching and two drawings, including one from the UCLA class where they met). Schlesinger describes meeting Hockney aged 18, moving into a "rundown house in Santa Monica", leaving him for Eric Boman in 1971 and never speaking to Hockney again for any length of time. The painting that won the £1,500 John Moores prize — Peter Getting Out of Nick's Pool — shows Schlesinger's naked rear emerging from a Los Angeles pool. His line on the word "muse": "I hated it. I found 'object' better." Read this before any Hockney exhibition visit this year.

▸ Interview

p.10 · Lee Child: "I'm sad my American dream is over"
Nick Rufford interviews the Jack Reacher creator, now living in the Lake District after 46 years in the US. Child explains why he turned down writing a James Bond novel and why he left Trump's America. He describes his move back to Britain as a political decision as much as a personal one. The marker for any crime writer: Child says no to Bond because Reacher is his own creation and that's non-negotiable.

▸ Feature

p.16 · Peak controversy: Kristin Harila and the K2 death zone
Matthew Campbell reconstructs Harila's record-breaking ascent of all 14 peaks above 8,000m in 2023, which unravelled when footage appeared to show her team stepping over a dying Sherpa guide on K2's Bottleneck at 8,000m. Harila argues the conditions made rescue impossible. The ethical line for any climber: the Bottleneck is single-file and one decision affects the entire queue.

▸ Feature

p.32 · Perimenopause for concern: are women being given HRT too young?
Deborah Cohen investigates the "menoposse" — Instagram personalities pushing HRT for perimenopausal symptoms in women as young as their thirties. Professor Martha Hickey of the University of Melbourne identifies a "research gap" because drug companies exclude perimenopausal women from trials. GP Margaret McCartney's team at the University of St Andrews analysed HRT content on social media and found claims of "glow", wrinkle reduction and nicer hair. The practical takeaway: if you are under 40 with irregular cycles, rule out pregnancy and thyroid issues before assuming perimenopause.

▸ Regulars / Columns

p.6 · Relative Values: Henry Blofeld and his nephew Piers
The cricket commentator and his nephew discuss the Blofeld name and its Bond connection. Henry recalls dining with Ian Fleming in Jamaica, who told him he found the name in Boodle's membership book while writing Thunderball. Piers describes Henry arriving "in a cloud of champagne, welcoming everyone as 'my dear old thing'." A single-paragraph story that delivers more than most full features.

p.9 · That's My Job: Air traffic controller
A first-person account of managing bird strikes, engine failures and mandatory annual sight tests. The controller details the mental load of holding dozens of aircraft in a three-dimensional grid. For anyone who has wondered what air traffic control actually involves: it is pattern recognition under time pressure, not the Hollywood version.

p.42 · Camilla Long: Wild in Berkhamsted — yes it's anal but the food is knockout
Long reviews a Northumbrian-themed restaurant in Berkhamsted. She describes the service as precise ("anal") but the food as excellent. The review format is narrative, not starred.

p.50 · Jeremy Clarkson: The scary new Peugeot 408
Clarkson drives the Peugeot 408 and finds it unexpectedly good. His column delivers the usual mix of car criticism and tangential cultural commentary. Resists the industry trend toward electric-only. One specific observation worth noting: he calls the 408 "scary" for its acceleration, a rare compliment from Clarkson.

p.58 · A Life in the Day: Stockard Channing
The 82-year-old Grease star describes her London life ahead of her directorial debut at the Edinburgh Fringe with Krapp's Last Tape (Beckett) and the release of Practical Magic 2. She answers the standard Q&A: greatest fear (climate change), most embarrassing moment (forgetting lines on stage, cutting three minutes off the play), trait she most deplores (pedantry in herself, ignorance in others). A crisp, unfiltered closer.

p.39 · Recipes: Mark Diacono's fruity summer salads
Diacono offers recipes built around summer fruit — berries, stone fruit and citrus — combined with salad greens. He also explains the importance of salted pasta water for seasoning. Three dishes maximum. Useful for August cooking when tomatoes and peaches overlap.

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Editor's Take

This is a contender for the strongest Sunday Times Magazine issue of the batch. The Schlesinger-Hockney cover story is genuinely important — a first-person account of a relationship that produced some of the 20th century's most recognisable artworks, told by the subject himself without the usual hagiographic filter. The Lee Child interview delivers a real news line (turning down Bond) and the Harila K2 feature grapples with an ethical question that has no clean answer. Deborah Cohen's perimenopause investigation is the kind of medical journalism that actually helps readers make informed decisions rather than scaring them. Weaknesses: the Clarkson column feels like filler in an otherwise serious issue, and Camilla Long's restaurant review leans too hard on her persona at the expense of describing the food. But across 58 pages, only two items drag. The Martin Parr Silver Jubilee centre spread is a bonus. Buy this one for the Schlesinger interview alone.

Strengths
• Peter Schlesinger cover story is genuinely newsworthy post-Hockney death
• Lee Child interview with real news (turning down Bond)
• Perimenopause investigation with named academic sources and data

Weaknesses
• Jeremy Clarkson column is tonal mismatch with the rest of the issue
• Camilla Long's review describes service more than food

Verdict: Essential — the Schlesinger interview is the best Sunday magazine read of August, and the Child and Harila features give the issue weight from front to back.