--- title: "Dear England" year: 2026 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/dear-england" fi1m_id: "dear-england" imdb_id: "tt31433766" tmdb_id: 295532 wikidata_id: "Q135261434" fi1m_score: 80 critics_reviews: 3 published: "2026-09-11" updated: "2026-10-06T10:36:50.246983+00:00" region: "BE" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Dear England (2026) Created by James Graham · 57m · Drama, Sport ## Identity Dear England - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/dear-england - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** dear-england - **IMDb ID:** tt31433766 - **TMDB ID:** 295532 - **Wikidata ID:** Q135261434 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31433766/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/295532, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135261434 **Fi1m score: 80** · Critics: 3 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* An England football drama in which being a decent man is allowed to count as a coaching qualification > Joseph Fiennes gives *Dear England* a persuasive centre as Gareth Southgate, and James Graham makes thoughtful leadership worth watching. We recommend this warm football drama, with reservations about asking one team to explain a country. ## Synopsis Gareth Southgate (Joseph Fiennes) is at the centre of a drama about the England football team and the expectations placed on it. Alongside him are Pippa Grange (Jodie Whittaker) and Steve Holland (Daniel Ryan). Will Antenbring plays Harry Kane, with David Shields as Jordan Henderson and Francis Lovehall as Raheem Sterling. Written by James Graham, the four-part series considers the connection between football and English identity. Leadership, masculinity, shame and racism among supporters form part of a story about what representing England means, both to the team and to the country watching. ## Review *Dear England* is a warm, persuasive drama about leadership, with Joseph Fiennes giving its faith in Gareth Southgate a convincing human basis. James Graham uses the England football team to consider masculinity, shame and the difficulty of talking honestly about either. The football gives those questions an immediate setting, even if we are less persuaded by the larger claims about English identity. We recommend it for Fiennes, with that reservation. Fiennes is the reason to stay. His Southgate is thoughtful and decent, and the performance is restrained enough to make us take those qualities seriously as part of a manager’s work. We found that unexpectedly moving: Fiennes makes care for other people seem a credible basis for authority. The danger with such a portrayal is blandness, but there is enough precision in his Southgate to keep the decency from becoming a general advertisement for being nice. Familiar sporting figures bring a particular problem to drama: we can spend more time assessing the likeness than considering the person. Fiennes’s precision makes that recognition useful, giving Southgate enough credibility for Graham’s questions about leadership to matter. Recognition is part of the appeal, though a convincing impersonation cannot by itself make a case about national character. The cast includes Will Antenbring as Harry Kane, David Shields as Jordan Henderson and Francis Lovehall as Raheem Sterling. Jodie Whittaker plays Pippa Grange, with Daniel Ryan as Steve Holland. Graham’s focus on national character is the less convincing part. England is too varied for a football team to explain it, and the emphasis on masculinity risks making the nation sound exclusively male. Racism among fans belongs in this story; treating shame and emotional illiteracy as particularly English takes more persuading. We are interested in those questions without accepting that football can settle them, or that a decent manager can provide an answer to them. Rupert Goold and Paul Whittington direct this adaptation of Graham’s stage play, and the transfer raises a useful question about scale. A television drama needs its people to remain interesting once the pleasure of recognising them has passed. Fiennes supplies that interest through restraint, which suits a story concerned with the value of thinking before speaking. The cinematography is by Ole Bratt Birkeland, with music by Kormac. Against the usual demands of a sports drama, the interest in thoughtful leadership is welcome. Winning supplies an obvious reason to care, but Graham asks us to take an interest in how authority is exercised as well. That gives the series an appeal beyond an audience already invested in the England team, though its national ambitions need some questioning. Watch it for Fiennes’s Southgate, and allow yourself to disagree with the claims being made on England’s behalf *Fi1m score 80, published 11 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Dear England worth watching?** *Dear England* is worth watching for Joseph Fiennes's thoughtful, restrained Gareth Southgate, and we scored it 80. James Graham's four-part drama makes decent leadership interesting in its own right, so it suits viewers who care little about the England team. Its larger claims about English identity persuaded us less, and we recommend it with that reservation. **How long is Dear England, and what is it rated?** *Dear England* has episodes of about 57m. It is a drama and sport series. **Where can I watch Dear England in Belgium?** *Dear England* is not on any streaming or rental service in Belgium at the moment. It is available in 12 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How does Dear England compare to Chariots of Fire?** *Dear England* is a four-part television drama about a manager and his team, where [*Chariots of Fire*](https://film.one/film/chariots-of-fire) is a film about individual runners whose national pride is complicated by faith and class. The earlier film has races worth watching but some stately passages that drag; the series is steadier, carried by Fiennes rather than by sporting spectacle. Choose Hudson's film for the running and Vangelis, Graham's series for leadership. **What should I watch after Dear England?** After *Dear England*, try [*Chariots of Fire*](https://film.one/film/chariots-of-fire) (1981, Fi1m 78): National sporting pride is complicated by faith, class and individual conviction. Then [*Friday Night Lights*](https://film.one/tv/friday-night-lights) (2006, Fi1m 86): A team’s fortunes carry a community’s hopes, with room for private doubts; and [*Bend It Like Beckham*](https://film.one/film/bend-it-like-beckham) (2002, Fi1m 76): Football brings family expectations and national belonging into an accessible comic drama. ### Reviews we read (3) - **Radio Times**, Gareth McLean (4/5): The four-part BBC series is a state-of-the-nation piece exploring masculinity, identity, shame and emotional illiteracy in English culture rather than a straightforward sports drama. Joseph Fiennes's restrained performance as the thoughtful, decent Gareth Southgate makes the case for a different kind of leadership compelling. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/dear-england-gareth-southgate-joseph-fiennes-review/) - **The Guardian**, Frances Ryan (80/100, inferred): The stellar adaptation of James Graham’s award-winning play is a stirring take on national identity. It is a joyous, rousing ride that weaves in themes of English values, masculinity and racism among fans. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/may/23/dear-england-james-grahams-football-drama-gareth-southgate-joseph-fiennes) - **The Telegraph** (75/100, inferred): James Graham’s Dear England is one of the best stage plays of the decade and this TV adaptation largely hits the back of the net. Joseph Fiennes delivers a convincing and minutely observed performance as Gareth Southgate. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2026/05/24/dear-england-bbc-one-review/) ## Details - **Created by:** James Graham - **Creator:** James Graham - **Director:** Paul Whittington, Rupert Goold - **Writer:** James Graham - **Cinematography:** Ole Birkeland - **Music:** Kormac - **Producer:** Tina Pawlik - **Cast:** Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate; Jodie Whittaker as Pippa Grange; Jason Watkins as Greg Dyke; John Hodgkinson as Greg Clarke; Daniel Ryan as Steve Holland; Sam Spruell as Mike Webster; Will Antenbring as Harry Kane; David Shields as Jordan Henderson - **Runtime:** 57m - **Release (Belgium):** 24 May 2026 - **Genres:** Drama, Sport - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELGABd_gfjE ## Where to watch in Belgium Not streaming, renting or buying in Belgium at the last check. Also available in: AU, BG, CA, CZ, GB, HR, HU, PL, RO, RS, SI, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Damned United* (2009): A football manager’s temperament matters as much as his tactics here - *Offside* (2006): Football exposes who gets to belong, with humour and anger closely joined - *Chariots of Fire* (1981), Fi1m 78: National sporting pride is complicated by faith, class and individual conviction — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/chariots-of-fire.md) - *Friday Night Lights* (2006), Fi1m 86: A team’s fortunes carry a community’s hopes, with room for private doubts — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/friday-night-lights.md) - *Bend It Like Beckham* (2002), Fi1m 76: Football brings family expectations and national belonging into an accessible comic drama — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/bend-it-like-beckham.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/dear-england