Ch-ch-ch-changes… (And Benedict Cumberbatch!)

We’ve spent the last while working on a refresh of the magazine. And now we release it to the world.

In this week’s Big Issue…

Benedict Cumberbatch. In our big interview splash, he rages about Alan Turing’s treatment then talks about where the future is going to take him. He’s getting married, you might have heard…

Miriam Margolyes arrives with a blistering Letter To My Younger Self. Very funny, open and a lot about sex and fidelity and regret.

Spot The Ball. We have Spot The Ball. We’re bringing it back. You may need to explain it to people under 25. But it’s here. Have a go.

Helen MacDonald, who this week scooped the Samuel Johnson non-fiction Book of The Year prize for her fantastic memoir H Is For Hawk, is the first expert in our new Pause section. She tells readers how to stop what they’re doing, pause, and look up to spot a sparrowhawk. Brilliant writing here.

Robert McLiam Wilson, who wrote a couple of clatteringly great pieces earlier this year, joins The Big Issue as a columnist. He begins with a celebration of autodidacts.

Dominic Laurie, the BBC business correspondent, joins us as business editor. He starts with a look at where things stand with PPI. Meanwhile, also on the Economics page, Adam Forrest investigates where one of the year’s most quoted stats comes from – and whether it’s true.

Hello/Goodbye. You’ll notice our featured vendor of the week introducing the mag on page 3 and closing it off with his My Pitch interview last thing. This week, it’s James Davis – formerly a player for Wales in the Homeless World Cup.

Den Of Geek is a tremendous site and source of much useful information. The first of their Week In Geek columns starts here.

Dr Ben Ambridge joins us as The Big Issue boffin, setting a new brain teaser each week. This week he asks – are you stupider than a monkey?

Of course, a host of favourites remain. This week, John Bird considers the Soviets and fall of The Wall; Sam Delaney brings his Broadcast Views; we have 5 Books Everybody Should Read Before They Die; Street Art is there too. And more besides.