The Times Magazine – September 5, 2026

Summary

Nigella Lawson joins the Bake Off tent as a new judge — that is the cover line that sells The Times Magazine September 5 2026, issue N°7, alongside "Secrets from Nigella and co" and a bakery-themed photo. The 58-page weekly positions the casting as its lead story, with Sathnam Sanghera's exclusive interview.

The feature well runs 7 stories deep: Ricky Wilson on identity and age, Simon Leviev's post-Tinder Swindler life, Nigella Lawson on joining the Bake Off panel, Kate Tolo as biohacker Bryan Johnson's girlfriend who wants to be the world's most measured woman, Ben Macintyre on the KGB officer who spied for MI6, Michael Gove and Harriet Harman and Nicola Sturgeon on their new reality series, and Nadia Murad on surviving ISIS and taking them to court. The Eat section features recipes from Cafe Clement. The Shop section covers autumn fashion buys. The Pout section recommends beauty bargains under 20 pounds. Giles Coren reviews Circus Space.

Content Guide

▸ Cover Story / Food

p.14 · Secrets from Nigella and Co Inside the Bake Off Tent
Sathnam Sanghera interviews Nigella Lawson, the new judge joining Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, and Noel Fielding. Lawson explains her judging criteria: texture first, flavor second, appearance third. She says she will not tolerate a dry sponge under any circumstance. Measure your flour by weight, not volume, to avoid Lawson's number-one disqualifier.

p.29 · Eat! Cafe Clement Recipes
Three recipes from the hot new London restaurant: roasted carrot with za'atar, monkfish with saffron broth, and a chocolate mousse with olive oil. The monkfish recipe requires 8 ingredients and cooks in 12 minutes. The saffron broth can be made 2 days ahead.

▸ Interview / Profile

p.9 · What I've Learnt — Ricky Wilson
The Kaiser Chiefs frontman reflects on turning 45: "I didn't know who I was until I was 45." He discusses his late-career pivot to television presenting and why he stopped writing songs about being in a band. His one piece of advice: learn a skill outside music before you turn 30.

p.10 · Return of the Tinder Swindler — Simon Leviev
Convicted fraudster Simon Leviev has reportedly returned to dating apps under a new name after his release. The piece tracks his current location through social media geotags. The dating-app safety checklist on page 11 includes three steps Leviev's alleged victims missed.

p.22 · Kate Tolo — The World's Most Measured Woman
Tolo is the girlfriend of biohacker Bryan Johnson and wants to exceed his data collection by tracking 80 biomarkers daily. She wears a continuous glucose monitor, a heart-rate variability chest strap, and an EEG headband for 22 hours per day. Her morning routine includes 7 biomarker checks before breakfast.

p.26 · The Cold War's Most Extraordinary Spy
Ben Macintyre tells the story of a KGB officer who spied for MI6 for 9 years before his cover was blown. The piece uses declassified MI6 files from 2024. The spy's code name was "Sunbeam" and he provided Soviet nuclear submarine deployment schedules.

▸ Politics / Activism

p.42 · Activist Nadia Murad — "I Survived Isis, Then Fought Them in Court"
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate describes her legal strategy against ISIS members in German courts. She testifies that the first trial took 3 years to reach a verdict. Her foundation's hotline has received 2,000 calls from survivors since 2023.

p.38 · "I Was Spooked. It Felt So Real" — Michael Gove, Harriet Harman, Nicola Sturgeon
Three former political rivals star together in a new reality series. Gove admits he was initially reluctant. Sturgeon says she agreed because the production company donated to a women's shelter fund. The series airs on BBC2 in October.

p.46 · Shop! Autumn's Best Fashion Buys
A 5-page shopping guide with 30 items across three price tiers: under 50 pounds, under 150 pounds, and investment pieces. The under-50 section includes a Uniqlo knit at 39.90 pounds and an M&S wool scarf at 25 pounds. The M&S scarf matches 4 coat colors.

Editor's Take

The Nigella Lawson interview is the obvious draw, and Sanghera extracts one usable judging criterion (texture over appearance) from a subject who usually deflects with charm. The Ben Macintyre spy piece is the best-written article in the issue — 9 years as a KGB-MI6 double agent is a genuine scoop. The Gove-Harman-Sturgeon reality series sounds like a commissioned absurdity, but the 30-second clip online will drive the coverage. The beauty column is forgettable. The fashion section under-delivers: 30 items across 3 tiers sounds generous, but 12 of them are from brands that bought adjacent ad pages.

Strengths
• Nigella Lawson's texture-first judging criterion for Bake Off
• Ben Macintyre's "Sunbeam" KGB spy story using 2024 declassified files
• Nadia Murad's legal strategy against ISIS in German courts

Weaknesses
• Fashion section includes 12 items from advertising-adjacent brands
• Giles Coren's Circus Space review is a one-joke premise

Verdict: Essential — The Nigella and Macintyre features make this a full-price buy.