The creator of Dear England and the star playing Gareth Southgate in the new drama have urged the players not to watch it before the World Cup.
Later this month the BBC will screen Dear England, the story of how Southgate changed the mindset of the national squad and the players, giving them more confidence and belief to overcome the pain of always losing penalty shootouts.
And whilst the BBC hope for a big audience, the plan is to make the fans emphasise more with the team, than spur the team to victory in America this Summer. Dear England stars Joseph Fiennes as Sir Gareth, while Jodie Whittaker plays Pippa Grange, the England men’s team’s psychologist.
View 2 ImagesFiennes plays Southgate who famously missed a penalty for England in a shoot out(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Left Bank/Getty/Justin Downing/Anthony Pileggi)
The BBC four part adaptation was created following a successful West End production also starring Fiennes, and tells the story of Sir Gareth’s time as England manager when he took the team to two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final.
Asked if the players should watch it for inspiration, writer James Graham said: “No, I wouldn’t want them to watch it. I think they’ve got to really focus on what they’re doing. I wouldn’t want to be the one responsible who disrupted one of our best chance in a long time!
“My admiration for those players knows no bounds. I think people like Harry Kane as a captain has been one of the most inspirational figures, not just because of their talent or their effort, then their mindset.
“So I’d be really understanding and happy if they didn’t want to watch the TV drama until they got the job done.”
Fiennes added: “It’s for an audience, but I think the players will get so much, if the fans and people who love it, can see it and understand the way in which James has delivered the lives fictitiously, but with great detail and research, of these young men who have extraordinary pressures.
“So you begin to love and appreciate your team, win or loss, what they go through. The more the fans understand what is being delivered here, they will bring that to the players. And the players will in effect feel supported, in a way previously they maybe weren’t.”
The TV series also stars Will Antenbring as Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, The Crown’s Jason Watkins as former FA chairman Greg Dyke, and The Bay star Daniel Ryan as Steve Holland, the former assistant manager for the England men’s team.
Dear England had a sell-out run at the National Theatre before it transferred to the West End in 2023, winning best new play at the Olivier Awards in 2024.
At the premiere screening, Fiennes also spoke about bumping into the real Southgate at a King’s Trust charity event and his respect for him.
He said: “I was in the wings reading names and what I have to say, and I got a tap on the shoulder on stage, and I turned around, and there was me! And I had this weird out of body experience, and I got very gushy and asked for a selfie.
“Gareth was a remarkable man, and was an absolute gent. But he was just very, very sweet.
“There’s this revolving door in the political world and then sort of leadership is lacking and here you have all this potential, this young potential, these energies and gifts that have to be placed the right way. And Gareth’s mentorship and understanding with the players when they were young boys and understanding how to place that energy, it translates beyond football.
“Having the mentorship and the structure around, putting it in the right place, so that it doesn’t go toxic.”
Writer Graham also met with Southgate when writing and researching his original play and explained: “I met Gareth when I turned up at St Georges[FA Headquarters] and he said ‘I’m never gonna watch this but how can I help?’ He is such a generous guy.”
Southgate also received praise from former Doctor Who star Whittaker who appears in the drama.
Whittaker said: “It was revolutionary of Gareth to bring in a psychologist for the team.
“And it’s fascinating, in this kind of day and age, where I suppose mental health is such a – we’re in 2026 – it’s a topic of conversation – masculinity, what are our kind of ideas of what we believe masculinity should represent.
“What is fascinating is, that you know, a pair of feet can be insured for however much, and then the brain is kind of left to fend for itself.
“In such young players, and in such incredibly talented young men, Gareth knew more than anyone that the psychological pressure is one of the hardest things to harness, so bringing in someone like Pippa was essential.”
* Dear England will launch on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on Sunday May 24 at 9pm.
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