Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate in Dear England in the West End. (© Marc Brenner)

Everything We Know So Far About The BBC’s Dear England Adaptation

Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate in Dear England in the West End. (© Marc Brenner)

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Everything We Know So Far About The BBC’s Dear England Adaptation

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Time to meet the cast

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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

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: