Sir Ian McKellen has fronted a new film in a powerful attempt to unite the country, ahead of England’s next World Cup match.
After topping their group, the Three Lions will be taking on DR Congo in their first knockout game at 5pm today, hoping for a win to take them into the last 16, alongside Paraguay, Brazil and Canada.
Fans, famous faces and a selection of England WAGs have travelled out to Atlanta for the proceedings, with David Beckham, Stormzy, Tom Cruise, Ed Westwick and Mumford and Sons spotted in the stands.
While Harry Kane and co attempt to cover themselves in glory at the tournament, and finally bring that coveted gold trophy back home, Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian has lent his support to a “love letter to England”, in a bid to spark a sense of togetherness at a time when the nation feels more divided than ever.
View 3 ImagesHarry Kane will be hoping to lead the England team to victory tonight(Image: 2026 Anadolu)
The 87-year-old teamed up with award-winning playwright James Graham for the emotional scenes, and could be heard declaring: “Who are ya? Who are ya? Who are ya? Goes the chant from the stands. Now, isn’t that the question?
“There are those who say that we don’t know who we are. And yet they say this in our language, the common tongue of the world, that we give ourselves other names or think another may smell more sweet.
“That we are yet to fully blossom and bloom, though our roots are ancient and go deep. They say we lack a story, yet ours are some of the oldest there are. That where they have passion, we are polite.
“Yet we are the lions that roar. That we are the ones who queue and queue, but what are we waiting for? That ours is a land of stiff upper lips. Don’t cause a scene and keep calm. Oh, no it isn’t.
“They say our spirit is broken, yet how we laugh and how we love. We know who we are at our best when we are together. Don’t let them tell you otherwise. We know who we are.”
View 3 ImagesIan has shared his love of football over the years(Image: Getty)
As part of the initiative, which was launched in June, people across the UK will have their say on what it means to support England at a huge tournament – and what it means to belong to a nation.
They can leave a 60-second voice note to share their views on the country they want to live in, and what they want to see in future.
Sir Ian has been a long-time football fan, and has even backed the Football v Homophobia campaign, which “aims to eradicate homophobia by educating children from a young age”.
“What a wonderful initiative it is,” he said in 2015. “Sport is all about getting along with people – you ultimately cannot be a good team without that. You cannot succeed unless everyone is doing it together.
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“There’s no place for name calling and saying that we’re all different – we are all different, thank goodness and for the children to be learning that at their age is absolutely fantastic.”
The National Conversation closes at the end of August. To take part, or for organisations interested in hosting a Group Conversation, visit: thenationalconversarion.org.uk
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