Dear England (season 1)

Dear England is a four-part fictionalized drama based on James Graham's award-winning play about Gareth Southgate and the England men's football team. The series follows Southgate as he becomes manager during one of the country's darkest football periods, when England had the worst penalty record in the world. A former player haunted by his own failures, Southgate knows he must open his mind and confront years of hurt to change not only the team's tactics but also its culture and self belief. In a nation saturated with disappointment, he attempts the impossible task of reconciling England with victory while leading the squad through transformation. The story explores how he faces ghosts from the past to break a long cycle of failure and take both team and country back to the promised land. Joseph Fiennes portrays Southgate alongside Jodie Whittaker as Pippa Grange in this biographical comedy drama that aired on BBC One in 2025.