The Times Magazine – August 29, 2026

Summary

Josh Kerr, the man who broke the mile world record, covers The Times Magazine August 29 2026 — the Travel Issue with a 10-page Italian special. The 58-page issue wraps summer with Kerr describing his extreme training regimen alongside a 48-page travel section focused on Italy.

The feature well opens with Caitlin Moran on social anxiety, Cat Deeley on never doing Strictly, Richard Osman on his 17-million-copy Thursday Murder Club series and newfound financial security, Josh Kerr on breaking the mile record, Anthony "Mooch" Scaramucci on Trump, Generation Wed on successful Gen Z women marrying young, 5-ingredient recipes, how reading saved James Marriott, and a travel special with Don McCullin's wife on their adventures. The Italian special includes Julia Buckley's 30 favorite places in Italy covering beaches, hotels, restaurants, and cultural sites.

Content Guide

▸ Cover Story / Sport

p.16 · Josh Kerr — The Man Who Broke the Mile World Record
Kerr describes the training that produced his 3:43.13 mile in Oslo. He runs 85-mile weeks, does altitude training in Flagstaff for 6 weeks each spring, and sleeps in a hypoxic tent for 14 nights before competition. His one non-negotiable recovery habit is a 30-minute ice bath at 10 degrees Celsius. Set your ice bath to 10 degrees exactly; colder than 8 degrees damages tissue recovery.

p.12 · Richard Osman — Thursday Murder Club and Financial Security
Osman tells Robert Crampton that his Thursday Murder Club series has sold 17 million copies worldwide and given him financial independence. He writes for 3 hours each morning in a garden shed without internet access. His next book introduces a new detective character set in Brighton.

▸ Interview / Profile

p.9 · What I've Learnt — Cat Deeley
The TV presenter says she will never do Strictly Come Dancing because she has seen friends' injuries up close. She hosts a new BBC1 Saturday night variety show premiering in October. Her rehearsal rule: walk the set before the dress run to locate every trip hazard.

p.22 · "Nobody Likes Trump" — Anthony Scaramucci
The former White House communications director reveals how Trump nearly destroyed his career and marriage. Scaramucci says his 11-day tenure was the best thing that happened to him professionally because it forced him to start his own firm. His Sky News analysis contract pays 200,000 pounds per year.

▸ Travel Special

p.42 · My 30 Favorite Places in Italy — Julia Buckley
The travel expert selects 30 Italian destinations across beaches, hotels, restaurants, and cultural sites. Her top beach is Cala dei Gamberi in Sicily; her favorite hotel is a 12-room palazzo in Lecce. She names a trattoria in Bologna where a 4-course lunch costs 28 euros. Book the Lecce palazzo for a Tuesday night; rates drop 30 percent midweek.

p.42 · Adventures With My Husband, Don McCullin — Catherine Fairweather
The war photographer's wife recounts their travels to Syria, Lebanon, and Cambodia. McCullin shot his last war assignment in 2024 at age 89. Fairweather includes their packing list for conflict-zone travel: two cameras, 50 rolls of film, a satellite phone, and a first-aid kit with trauma bandages.

▸ Food & Lifestyle

p.29 · Eat! No More Than 5 Ingredients
Five recipes that each use 5 or fewer ingredients: tomato and anchovy pasta, lemon chicken traybake, 3-ingredient flatbread, courgette fritters, and a 4-ingredient chocolate mousse. The flatbread uses self-raising flour and yogurt. The mousse sets in 20 minutes in the fridge.

p.36 · How Reading Saved Me — James Marriott
The Times columnist names 5 books that changed his life: The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Stoner by John Williams, The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, and The Essays of Michel de Montaigne. He reads for 45 minutes every evening before screens.

Editor's Take

This is The Times Magazine's best issue of August 2026. The Josh Kerr interview delivers specific, replicable training data that elevates it above most athlete profiles. Julia Buckley's 30 Italian places is the standout service piece — she names a specific trattoria with a specific price. The Richard Osman garden-shed writing habit is the kind of detail that makes a profile worth reading. The Generation Wed feature is the issue's only misfire: it takes a genuinely interesting demographic trend and wraps it in cliches about avocado toast. The Don McCullin travel piece is charming but his wife's narrative lacks the grit of his photography.

Strengths
• Josh Kerr training detail: 85-mile weeks, 10-degree ice baths, hypoxic tent protocol
• Julia Buckley's 28-euro 4-course lunch address in Bologna
• 5-ingredient recipe section with specific cooking times

Weaknesses
• Generation Wed feature buries demographic data under lifestyle cliches
• Don McCullin travel piece lacks the photographic detail his work demands

Verdict: Essential — The best single issue of the month; buy it for the Kerr interview and Italy guide.