Tom Hodgkinson with a few of the highlights from our latest issue

Our new issue was released on Thursday. Our cover star is the fabulous Emma Thompson. We’re running an edited version of the conversation I had with her at this year’s Idler Festival, which was funny, sad, inspiring and rousing all at once. You’ll find out about her two-hour workday, her love for bees, the importance of protest, Nanny McPhee the Musical, and much else besides.

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Elsewhere in our Autumn issue, we present a guide to public speaking based on the matchless Michael Faraday’s advice. Comedian Amy Matthews writes on her habit of creating altars in hotel rooms, and Guy Stagg looks at the evolution of retreats from ancient times to the wellness centres of today. (Read all about next year’s Spanish retreat here).

Subscribers, you may read the issue online here.

Happy idling,

Tom

PS The peerless Irvine Welsh kicks off a new season of “A Drink with the Idler”. Read more here.

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Our October/November 2025 issue is available in Waitrose, Waterstones, Smiths Travel outlets, select Smiths high street branches and around 100 indie stores. Click here for your nearest stockist.