First Look At The BBC’s Dear England Adaptation
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1 month ago
Here's everything we know so far
The BBC has revealed our first look at its star-studded Dear England drama, retracing Gareth Southgate’s final chapter as manager of the England men’s football team. Based on James Graham’s Olivier Award winning play of the same name – first staged in a sell-out run at London’s National Theatre in 2023 – here’s everything we know so far.
Harry Kane (WILL ANTENBRING) & Gareth Southgate (JOSEPH FIENNES) in Dear England. (© BBC/Left Bank)
Dear England: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More
From the team behind This City Is Ours and The Crown (Leftbank Pictures) and the writer behind Sherwood and Brian and Maggie (James Graham) comes a new drama perfect for football fans – and anyone who was around for England’s tragic defeat in the UEFA Euro 2020 final at Wembley in summer 2021.
Dear England is a fictionalised account delving into the triumphs and tribulations of the England men’s football team under Gareth Southgate’s management (2016–2024), based on extensive research and interviews. Joseph Fiennes plays the role of Southgate, reprising his Olivier-nominated performance from the stage version. He’s joined by Jodie Whittaker for the screen version, along with Will Antenbring, Jason Watkins, John Hodgkinson and more.
Pippa Grange (JODIE WHITTAKER) in Dear England. (© BBC/Left Bank)
What Will Happen?
When Gareth took over the role of manager from Sam Allardyce, the England squad had the world’s worst track record for penalties. And despite being the birthplace of football, England has endured a disheartening sequence of defeats. Why can’t the England team win at their own game?
Gareth soon realises that to guide England back to victory, he must confront past disappointments and broaden his perspective. He brings in a psychologist to assist with training and encourages players to keep journals and discuss their fears. The upcoming BBC series is based on a play penned by James Graham, which bagged the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2024. Graham describes Southgate’s management of the England squad as a ‘quiet revolution’, declaring ‘bringing the national game to the National Theatre over two years ago was one of the most rewarding moments of my writing life’.
There’s plenty of tension and football in Dear England, too, replaying heartbreaking moments from the racist abuse experienced by the team’s Black players in the wake of the Euro 2020 final to Southgate missing his own penalty at the Euro semifinal back in 1996. Graham adds the play explores ‘themes of redemption, resilience, kindness and compassion in sport’ and ‘to kick off its journey on screen now, and on our national broadcaster, is a huge opportunity’.
‘I’m so grateful to the world class cast and creative team we’ve assembled,’ Graham adds.
Harry Kane (WILL ANTENBRING) in Dear England. (© BBC/Left Bank)
Dear England: Meet The Cast
British actor Fiennes will reprise his leading role as Southgate, joined by Whittaker, Watkins, Hodgkinson (also reprising his stage role), Daniel Ryan, Sam Spruell and more.
Production company Left Bank Pictures CEO Andy Harries describes Whittaker as ‘pitch perfect as psychologist Pippa Grange’ – both hailing from Huddersfield – so we’re certainly in for a treat.
The full cast list we know so far is as follows:
- Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate
- Jodie Whittaker as Pippa Grange, the England men’s team psychologist
- Jason Watkins as Greg Dyke, FA chairman
- John Hodgkinson as Greg Clarke, FA chairman
- Daniel Ryan as Steve Holland, assistant manager for the England men’s team
- Sam Spruell as Mike Webster, the team’s (fictional) coach
- Adam Hugill as Harry Maguire
- Josh Barrow as Jordan Pickford
- Lewis Shepherd as Dele Alli
- Will Antenbring as Harry Kane
- Edem-Ita Duke as Marcus Rashford
- Francis Lovehall as Raheem Sterling
- Abdul Sessay as Bukayo Saka
- Jacob Greenway as Jude Bellingham
- David Shields as Jordan Henderson
- Hamish Frew as Eric Dier
- Alfie Middlemiss as Phil Foden
- Riess Fennell as Jadon Sancho
- Daniel Quincy Annoh as Ollie Watkins
- Bobby Schofield as Wayne Rooney
- Dom Rayner as Cole Palmer
- Alexander Parsons as Jesse Lingard
Like Fiennes and Hodgkinson, Hugill, Barrow and Shepherd reprise their stage roles for the BBC adaptation of Dear England – so anyone who saw the original run is in for a treat. And a tidbit for fans of Ted Lasso: producer Tina Pawlik also worked on Apple TV’s beloved football dramedy, and we’re sure the same wit and warmth will be pumped through Dear England.
Release Date
Dear England will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in 2026 – though no more specific date just yet. The series will be made up of four hour-long episodes.
Dear England at the National Theatre
The Play
Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate in Dear England in the West End. (© Marc Brenner)
Dear England National Tour
If you can’t wait for the BBC adaptation of Dear England, there’s still a chance to see the stage production on its national tour, which kicked off in September 2025 and will run until March 2026. The remaining dates are as follows:
- Mayflower Theatre, Southampton: 13–17 January 2026
- Milton Keynes Theatre: 20–24 January 2026
- New Theatre Oxford: 27–31 January 2026
- Norwich Theatre Royal: 3–7 February 2026
- New Victoria Theatre, Woking: 10–14 February 2026
- The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford: 17–21 February 2026
- New Wimbledon Theatre: 24–28 February 2026
- Liverpool Empire: 3–7 March 2026
- Birmingham Hippodrome: 10–14 March 2026
