New four-part BBC series Dear England tells the story of Gareth Southgate’s tenure as the manager of England, but it isn’t the first time this tale has been told as a drama.
In fact, Dear England is adapted by James Graham from his own acclaimed National Theatre stage play of the same name.
While, of course, many things had to be changed when taking the drama from the stage to the screen, one key element remained the same, with Joseph Fiennes returning to play Southgate, having originated the role on stage.
Fiennes and his co-star Jodie Whittaker recently spoke with Radio Times exclusively about the new series, and Fiennes admitted he had “reservations” about reprising the role in a different medium.
“I was coming to the end of the National and we’d just got a transfer deal to go to the West End,” Fiennes said of the TV show’s origins. “I had heard that James was approached by numerous buyers, two of which were Netflix and the BBC, and he went with the BBC.
“Which I think was brilliant, because it’s in the spirit of the national psyche, and I think that’s the right home for it. But I heard about this, and I definitely had some reservations about how I could portray Gareth on the screen, when the close ups are very giveaway.
“On stage, if you’re in the middle of the stalls and you squint, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, could be Gareth,’ and you get away with the conceit. I was terrified that I wouldn’t get away with the conceit quite so much.”
He continued: “The good thing is, Gareth, the players, football even, is a conduit. It’s a lens, a transportation mode for bigger subjects beyond those personas and football itself. We look at toxic masculinity, racism, pressures that young athletes are under at extraordinary high levels, and psychology within the game.”
When it came to his Fiennes’s fears about the conceit of him as Southgate, he was helped on screen by the addition of prosthetics and make up, a clear differentiation from the play.
“Just on the sort of outside perspective, from the costumes which our designer was incredibly precise and detailed about, authenticity was everything,” Fiennes said. “And then there’s the hair and makeup team, who were incredible and diligent in the same regard.
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“We were so lucky to be blessed with an incredible support group. I did a lot of research and listening to his book countless times in headphones, day in, day out. But that only takes you so far. What I’m more interested in is what I term the critical juncture in his life, and that’s 96.
“We all, in our lives, have great moments and painful moments, and it’s how you regain yourself, your confidence, and move on and use that experience. I think, for me, that was where I was more excited, is landing in the psychology of that, the ghosts of that and, by the end of the series, you’ll see how those ghosts creep back in.”
The series, which charts Southgate’s tenure as England manager from 2016 to 2024, also stars Whittaker (Doctor Who), Will Antenbring (Mr Loverman), Jason Watkins (The Game), John Hodgkinson (Small Axe), Daniel Ryan (The Hack) and Sam Spruell (The Gold).
Dear England will begin on BBC One and iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday 24 May 2026.
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