
Everything We Know So Far About The BBC’s Dear England Adaptation
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13 hours ago
Time to meet the cast
Filming is underway on the BBC’s 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 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.
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 at the National Theatre
What Will Happen?
Based on extensive research and interviews, 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).
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.
Dear England: Meet The Cast
British actor Joseph Fiennes will reprise his leading role as Gareth Southgate, transferring his Olivier Award nominated performance from stage to screen. He will be joined by Jodie Whittaker, Jason Watkins, John 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 is slated to 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.

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 thanks to a national tour. From September 2025 until March 2026, the National Theatre will take Olivier Award winning writer James Graham’s original drama to 16 venues across England following the sell-out London run in 2023.
Rupert Goold returns to direct the award-winning play tracing Gareth Southgate’s final chapter as England manager, with the tour kicking off in Plymouth. The dates are as follows:
- Theatre Royal Plymouth: 15–20 September 2025
- Nottingham Theatre Royal: 23–27 September 2025
- Marlowe Theatre Canterbury: 7–18 October 2025
- Sheffield Lyceum: 21–25 October 2025
- Leeds Grand Theatre: 4–8 November 2025
- Newcastle Theatre Royal: 11–15 November 2025
- Chichester Festival Theatre: 20–29 November 2025
- 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
The cast for the Dear England stage tour is still to be announced.