Radio Times – 15 September 2026

Summary

Strictly Come Dancing's new presenting lineup takes centre stage in the 19-25 September 2026 issue of Radio Times — with a fresh look at the ballroom, new dance-off rules revealed, and the full list of celebrity contestants including a former Love Island star and an Olympic medallist.

The issue leads with Strictly 2026: the new presenting duo, the dance-off format change, and Michelle Keegan and Douglas Booth on their explosive new BBC thriller The Girl in the Wall. Forever Home brings the house-renovation format to the small screen. BBC's Am I a Runner? investigates whether almost anyone can complete a 5K with the right training plan. Gardening expert Joe Swift advises on late-season colour, Sandi Toksvig tours the Hebrides, and Paul Lewis tackles the inheritance tax thresholds that change in October 2026. The 32-page What's Worth Watching section covers every Freeview and streaming platform, including Amazon Prime Video's autumn slate and the return of Netflix's The Crown.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.6 · Strictly Come Dancing 2026
The new presenting lineup takes over the ballroom with a refreshed dance-off rule that guarantees each couple dances at least once before elimination. The full celebrity lineup is confirmed, including a Love Island star and an Olympic medallist, alongside the returning professional dancers. Head judge Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Anton du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood remain behind the desk. A full page profiles each contestant with odds from the bookmakers.

▸ Features

p.4 · The Girl in the Wall — Michelle Keegan and Douglas Booth
The stars of this explosive new BBC thriller discuss filming the tense, claustrophobic drama that sees their characters trapped in a collapsing building. Keegan describes the physical challenge: "We spent three weeks in a set that got smaller every day." Booth adds that the emotion came from the space itself. The one-hour finale airs Saturday at 9pm on BBC One.

p.10 · Forever Home
The property-renovation format arrives on British television, following families as they transform rundown houses into permanent homes. The first episode features a couple who bought a derelict Victorian terrace for 180,000 pounds in Manchester and need to complete the work on a 40,000-pound budget. The series runs Tuesday nights at 8pm on Channel 4.

p.12 · Behind the Scenes — Radio Times Picture Desk
Photographers and picture editors reveal how they capture the cover images and celebrity portraits that define each issue. The feature includes unseen outtakes from recent shoots and the technical gear used — Canon EOS R5 bodies and Profoto D2 lights are standard kit. A craft feature for readers who work in visual media.

p.14 · Am I a Runner?
A new BBC investigation asks whether couch-to-5K programmes actually work for the average person. The programme follows three non-runners through an eight-week plan, with VO2 max tests conducted before and after at a University of Bath sports-science lab. Results show an average improvement of 18 percent in aerobic capacity. The takeaway: the 5K target is achievable for most people with a consistent three-runs-per-week schedule.

p.30 · Simon Barnes — The Autumn of Test Cricket
Barnes argues that the shifting calendar, franchise leagues and player workloads are squeezing Test cricket into a narrower window each year. He names specific players who have already retired from the longest format to extend their white-ball careers and predicts which nations will prioritise red-ball cricket going forward.

▸ Regulars

p.102 · Gardening — Joe Swift
Late-season perennials and shrubs that deliver colour into October and November, with Swift's specific recommendations for asters, rudbeckias and sedums that thrive in British autumn conditions. He advises against cutting back faded perennials until spring — the seed heads provide food for goldfinches and structure for frost.

p.106 · Travel — Sandi Toksvig
Sandi Toksvig explores the Hebrides, visiting the Isle of Harris, the Isle of Skye and the remote island of St Kilda. She names specific B&Bs, distillery tours and coastal walks, with practical details on ferry timetables and the best months for midge-free hiking. The Outer Hebrides in September offer the best balance of settled weather and empty roads.

p.112 · Money — Paul Lewis
The inheritance tax threshold freeze becomes a major issue as the 325,000-pound nil-rate band stays flat while house prices push more estates above the limit. Lewis calculates that a typical semi-detached property in the South East now triggers IHT for single homeowners, and explains the gifting rules that can reduce liability. The October 2026 Budget may announce changes.

p.120 · View from my sofa — Nicola Coughlan
The Bridgerton and Derry Girls star on the television that made her want to act, the shows she watches now, and why she still believes in comfort viewing. Coughlan picks her desert-island programmes and explains why she watches The Great British Bake Off between takes.

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Editor's Take

This is a solid Strictly season-launch issue that does exactly what it should: announces the new lineup, explains the rule changes and gives readers enough contestant detail to pick their winner before the first dance. The Girl in the Wall feature is well-timed to the drama's broadcast, and Keegan and Booth both give usable quotes. Joe Swift's autumn gardening column is the strongest in months — genuinely useful advice for the current week. The weakness is the Am I a Runner? feature, which is spread over three pages but contains only one key data point (18 percent aerobic improvement) that could have been a one-page boxout. The property pages lean heavily on Rightmove data rather than Radio Times original reporting. This issue suits the Strictly superfan and the regular weekly buyer; casual newsstand customers may find the cover too promotional and the inside features too short.

Strengths
• Strictly lineup announcement with bookmaker odds and dance-off rules
• Keegan and Booth give usable interview material
• Swift's autumn garden column delivers practical week-by-week planting advice

Weaknesses
• Am I a Runner? feature is stretched thin over three pages
• Property content relies on Rightmove data rather than original reporting

Verdict: Recommended — A well-executed season-launch issue for Strictly fans; the gardening and money columns provide the week's best reader value.