Gareth Southgate to front new BBC special ‘confronting the crisis facing young men and boys’

by

Gareth Southgate is the star of a new BBC documentary that explores what he sees as a growing problem among young men and boys.

In this one-hour program, the former England football manager will share his expertise in developing young players and leadership to help young men and boys succeed.

Throughout his time as a leader, Gareth Southgate has often highlighted the lack of positive male figures and the struggles many young men and boys face with isolation and expressing their emotions. Now, he’s making an effort to connect with them directly and hear their experiences.

You can watch ‘Gareth Southgate: Changing the Game for Young Men’ on BBC One and BBC iPlayer starting Monday, June 8th at 9pm.

This documentary goes deeper than just the recent discussions about online male communities. It explores the everyday struggles many young men and boys face, as the filmmaker travels throughout the UK to understand what’s happening in their lives and why so many feel uncertain about the future.

Southgate will be meeting with boys who are struggling in school, young men facing unemployment, and those who didn’t grow up with fathers. He’ll also visit young prisoners to learn about the circumstances that led them to commit crimes.

Gareth Southgate explained he’s trying to help young people stay on track and avoid struggling. He wanted to create a safe space for them to honestly share what they’re going through, and by listening to them, he’s learned more about the difficulties they face.

This project has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m truly thankful to everyone who shared their personal experiences with me. I hope this documentary helps shift how we talk about these issues and inspires us to help people reach their full potential.

BBC commissioning editor Gian Quaglieni explained that Gareth Southgate is uniquely placed to understand why many young boys struggle with feelings of inadequacy and to consider new approaches to help them. The film moves beyond divisive debates, focusing instead on genuinely listening to the experiences and challenges faced by young people. These are crucial, though often difficult, conversations that deserve to be heard.

Want to see this content?

This page uses a security feature called Google reCAPTCHA. Before it loads, we need your permission because reCAPTCHA might use cookies and similar technologies. If you want to see the content, please select ‘Accept and continue’ to enable reCAPTCHA.

You can watch “Gareth Southgate: Changing the Game for Young Men” on BBC One and BBC iPlayer starting Monday, June 8th at 9 PM.

Authors

Katelyn MensahSenior Entertainment Writer

Katelyn Mensah writes about entertainment for TopMob, covering everything from popular TV shows and reality competitions to important documentaries. Before joining TopMob, she worked at The Tab, where she focused on reality TV and celebrity news. She has a journalism degree.

  • Visit us on Twitter

Read More

2026-05-28 12:36