Dear England: Everything You Need To Know Before It Airs This Weekend

It may all have kicked off in the past decade, but there’s no doubt Gareth Southgate’s tenure as the manager of England men’s football team will go down in history. And now, 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 anyone who was around for England’s tragic defeat in the UEFA Euro 2020 final at Wembley in summer 2021.

Retracing Gareth Southgate’s final chapter with the England men and based on James Graham’s Olivier Award winning play of the same name, here’s everything you need to know about Dear England before it airs this weekend.

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Harry Kane (WILL ANTENBRING) & Gareth Southgate (JOSEPH FIENNES) in Dear England. (© BBC/Left Bank)

Dear England: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More

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. Watch the trailer below for a taste of the action.

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.

Greg Clarke (JOHN HODGKINSON), Mike Webster (SAM SPRUELL), John Stones HARRY EVANS), Aaron Ramsdale (ALEXANDER GRANTHAM), Eric Dier (HAMISH FREW), Pippa Grange (JODIE WHITTAKER), Physio Phil (GERARD MONACO), Ashley Young (DYONN CHRISTOPHER), Kyle Walker (DREW THOMAS), Jesse Lingard (ALEXANDER WESTCARR PARSONS), Marcus Rashford (EDEM-ITA DUKE), Harry Maguire (ADAM HUGILL), Danny Rose (ALEXIS BROWN), Jordan Pickford (JOSH BARROW), Raheem Sterling (FRANCIS LOVEHALL), Harry Kane (WILL ANTENBRING), Gareth Southgate (JOSEPH FIENNES), Steve Holland (DANIEL RYAN), Jordan Henderson (DAVID SHIELDS) & Dele Alli (LEWIS SHEPHERD) in Dear England. (BBC/Left Bank/Justin Downing)

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.

Harry Maguire (ADAM HUGILL), Bukayo Saka (ABDUL SESSAY), Harry Kane (WILL ANTENBRING) & Jordan Pickford (JOSH BARROW) in Dear England. (BBC/Left Bank)

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.

Steve Holland (DANIEL RYAN), Mike Webster (SAM SPRUELL) & Gareth Southgate (JOSEPH FIENNES) in Dear England. (BBC/Left Bank)

What Does Gareth Southgate Think?

It’s tough to gauge Southgate’s feelings about Dear England, so quiet has he been on the topic of the TV drama. That said, when Dear England first emerged as a stage play, Southgate was stoic on his stance to never go and see it, citing awkwardness.

Of course, the whole play stems from Southgate’s life, and even draws its title from an open later the England manager published in The Players’ Tribune, addressed to the nation ahead of the UEFA Euro 2020 final in 2021. Reaching 1,700 words, the letter covered so much more than football: the COVID-19 pandemic and isolation, social polarisation and progress, identity and tolerance, tradition and the privilege of representing a nation.

It gave us our closest glimpse into the mind of the manager that had guided our national team to the grand Euro final, and was contemporaneously praised for its empathy and statesmanship. It clearly inspired Graham, to boot: his Olivier Award-winning play started here.

As for Graham, he is more than happy for Southgate to skip both his play and his TV series. ‘I’m glad [Southgate] didn’t come and see it during the final tournaments because he is the storyteller and those players are the storytellers, and their story shouldn’t be corrupted by my version of it,’ Graham recently said at the TV series’ launch.

As for the players, ‘I wouldn’t want them to watch it,’ Graham stated. ‘I want them to really focus on what they’re doing. I wouldn’t want to be the one responsible for disrupting our best chance [of winning the World Cup] in a long time.’

Harry Maguire (ADAM HUGILL), Bukayo Saka (ABDUL SESSAY), Harry Kane (WILL ANTENBRING) & Jordan Pickford (JOSH BARROW) in Dear England. (BBC/Left Bank)

Release Date

Dear England will air at 9pm, Sunday 24 May 2026 on BBC One. The series will be made up of four hour-long episodes.

Episode Schedule

• Episode 1: 9pm, Sunday 24 May 2026
• Episode 2: 9pm, Monday 25 May 2026
• Episode 3: 9pm, Sunday 31 May 2026
• Episode 4: 9pm, Monday 1 June 2026

All episodes will air on BBC One.

Streaming

Episodes one and two of Dear England will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 9pm on Sunday 24 May, with the following two episodes arriving on BBC iPlayer the following Sunday, 31 May.