The Saturday Guardian – 22 August 2026

Summary

Is the ice-cream industry heading for meltdown? The Saturday Guardian (22 August 2026) cover story "99 Problems" investigates how weight-loss drugs and wellness trends threaten a 4 billion pound British industry built on indulgence. Miriam Margolyes says "I got old and the world turned nasty" in a feature on British identity and politics, and a widow's account of grief after her husband died surfing leads the lifestyle section.

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The 22 August Guardian leads with a business-culture hybrid feature examining the existential threat that Ozempic-style weight-loss drugs pose to the ice-cream market — manufacturers are reformulating, rebranding and facing a future where their core product is chemically opposed to their customers' health goals. Miriam Margolyes, 85, discusses her journey from teenage Tory to full-throated leftist, her relationship with British identity and why today's politics feel like "the worst yet." A surfing widow's account of grief after losing her husband to the waves offers a raw personal narrative.

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Gen ZIRL — social media and me — profiles young people's relationship with online platforms. The issue includes the regular Cuttings section (Q&A, Experience, Dining across the divide, Flashback), book reviews, travel, style, gardens, Tim Dowling and puzzles. A focused issue where the cover story drives the editorial agenda rather than being isolated from it.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.8 · Flakey business: is the ice-cream industry heading for meltdown?
Investigation into how weight-loss drugs (Ozempic, Wegovy) are reshaping the 4-billion-pound British ice-cream market. Manufacturers discuss reformulation and rebranding strategies. For any food business: the GLP-1 drug class is the biggest threat to indulgence food since the sugar tax.

▸ Features

p.14 · Gen ZIRL: social media and me
Profiles of young people navigating Instagram, TikTok and their mental health. The piece follows multiple subjects across different platform relationships.

p.20 · Miriam Margolyes: 'I got old and the world turned nasty'
Margolyes reflects on British identity, politics and her journey from Tory to leftist. She describes the current moment as the most hostile and divisive she has experienced.

p.24 · 'The waves still come': grief after my husband died surfing
A widow's first-person account of losing her husband to the sport he loved and rebuilding her life.

▸ Regulars

p.3-6 · Cuttings: Q&A, Experience, Dining across the divide, Flashback
p.28-51 · Culture, Books, Reviews
p.52-78 · Lifestyle, Style, Gardens, Travel, Puzzles, Tim Dowling

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Editor's Take

The ice-cream cover story is genuinely original — connecting weight-loss drugs to the confectionery economy is a piece of business journalism that most papers missed. Miriam Margolyes delivers reliably quotable lines. The surfing grief essay is the issue's emotional centre. Weaknesses: the Gen ZIRL feature is well-reported but its conclusions are familiar. The back half is standard Guardian Saturday fare. Best for readers interested in business trends with cultural implications.

Strengths
• Ice-cream industry cover story is a genuinely original angle
• Miriam Margolyes interview delivers sharp political commentary
• Surfing grief essay is moving and well-written

Weaknesses
• Gen Z social media feature covers well-trodden ground
• Back half is standard section filler
• Cover story deserves a follow-up data piece

Verdict: Recommended — the ice-cream feature alone is worth the cover price for its originality.