Gareth Southgate TV drama Dear England finally has release date confirmed with first-look trailer – and a special bonus for viewers

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After being announced two years ago, the four-part TV series adapting James Graham’s play, Dear England – about Gareth Southgate – will now premiere on a confirmed date.

Good news for fans! The first two episodes of the series about Gareth Southgate’s time as England manager will be released simultaneously on BBC iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday, May 24th. You can also watch the first episode on BBC One at the same time, and the second episode will be shown on the channel the following day, Monday, May 25th.

Okay, so I’m really excited because episodes 3 and 4 are coming out the following week, on Sunday, May 31st! They’ll both be available on iPlayer at 9pm that night. Then, if you prefer watching on TV, episode 3 will also air on BBC One at 9pm on May 31st, and episode 3 again on BBC One at 9pm the next day, Monday, June 1st.

The announcement came with the debut of the series’ exciting first trailer, which is available to watch now.

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Joseph Fiennes, known for his role in ‘Young Sherlock,’ returns as Gareth Southgate, a role he previously played in a stage production.

Gareth takes on the challenge of managing England’s national football team, knowing they have a terrible record with penalties. He realizes he needs to change his approach and address years of disappointing results if he wants to lead the team to success. England, the birthplace of football, has unfortunately become known for consistent losses – but Gareth wants to understand why they struggle to win when playing the sport they invented.

Dear England is a dramatized story of the England men’s football team, created after thorough research and conversations with those involved.

The series features a talented cast including Jodie Whittaker, known for ‘Doctor Who’, Jason Watkins from ‘The Game’, John Hodgkinson of ‘Small Axe’, Daniel Ryan (‘The Hack’), and Sam Spruell (‘The Gold’), alongside Ralph Fiennes.

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The cast also includes Adam Hugill, known for his role in ‘Sherwood’, Josh Barrow from ‘Hostage’, and Lewis Shepherd, all returning from the stage production. New to the project are Will Antenbring and Edem-Ita Duke (‘Mr Loverman’), Francis Lovehall (‘A Thousand Blows’), Abdul Sessay (‘Piglets’), Jacob Greenway (‘The Dream Lands’), and David Shields (‘Masters of the Air’).

The show also stars Hamish Frew, known for his work on Generation Z, Alfie Middlemiss from Waterloo Road, Riess Fennell of The Football Fantastics, Daniel Quincy Annoh who appeared in The Recruit, Bobby Schofield of Unforgivable, Sam Baker Jones from Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, along with Dom Rayner and Xander Westcarr-Parsons.

Dear England will begin on BBC One and iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday 24 May 2026.

Don’t miss Dear England! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app now for daily TV recommendations and exclusive content.

Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs writes about TV dramas for TopMob, covering shows on streaming services and traditional channels. Before becoming a writer, he worked in public relations, first at a business-to-business agency and then at Fremantle, an international TV production company. He has a bachelor’s degree in English and Theatre Studies, and a Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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2026-05-14 14:06