Dear England cast guide: The actors in the BBC drama compared to the characters they are playing

The new BBC drama Dear England starts today and promises to be a compelling watch. Joseph Fiennes stars as England manager Gareth Southgate in this fictionalized series, which tells the story of the England men’s football team’s challenges and triumphs under his leadership between 2016 and 2024.

This drama is adapted from the play by James Graham. It follows Gareth as he becomes the manager of a team known for its penalties. He realizes he needs to change his approach and address past failures if he wants to lead England to success.

England, the birthplace of football, consistently struggles to achieve victory in the sport. It’s frustrating to see them fall short, especially when playing on home turf.

Jodie Whittaker, known for her role as the Doctor, plays team psychologist Pippa Grange in a new drama. She’s hinted that while the show is fictionalized, it’s based on real people and roles that existed in the history of English football.

She explained that the best part of the role was the creative freedom to interpret the author’s work. She also knew, from talking to the other actors, that everyone had developed their own unique understanding of the character Pippa.

I was thrilled to be able to create my own interpretation of the character, rather than simply imitating the original person. It also really helped that she’d already written a fantastic book exploring the psychology of fear and how we deal with it.

What to Read Next

As Whittaker pointed out, the characters you’ll likely find most compelling in the next four episodes are based on real individuals. If you’re curious to see what they actually looked like and how well the show captured their likeness, scroll down for a preview.

Joseph Fiennes – Gareth Southgate

Joseph Fiennes plays Gareth Southgate in this film, a role he originally performed on stage. Many viewers have commented on the striking resemblance between Fiennes and Southgate.

The actor is well-known for his performance as Shakespeare in the movie Shakespeare in Love. More recently, he played Silas Holmes in Young Sherlock.

Jodie Whittaker – Pippa Grange (psychologist)

You might recognize Whittaker from her role as psychologist Pippa Grange, but she previously became famous playing the Time Lord in Doctor Who.

She’s also gained recognition for her work in the detective drama Broadchurch, where she starred with David Tennant, and the Netflix series Toxic Town.

Will Antenbring – Harry Kane

You might recognize Antenbring from his role as Tim in the BBC drama Mr Loverman. Now, you can see his acting skills again as he plays Harry Kane.

Edem-Ita Duke – Marcus Rashford

Duke appeared in the film Mr Loverman with Antenbring, and has also had guest roles on the TV series Vera and War of the Worlds.

Francis Lovehall – Raheem Sterling

Recently, Lovehall starred in Steven Knight’s acclaimed series A Thousand Blows, delivering a standout performance as the boxer Alec Monroe.

The actor also appeared in the acclaimed drama Small Axe, along with Criminal Record and Masters of the Air.

Abdul Sessay – Bukayo Saka

You may recognise Sessay for his roles in My Oxford Year, Doctor Who and Piglet.

Now, he’s portraying popular Arsenal star Bukayo Saka.

Bobby Schofield – Wayne Rooney

Now taking on a prominent role in the world of football, many viewers will recognize Schofield from his previous acting work, including appearances in shows like Unforgivable, SAS Rogue Heroes, and the Netflix series Eric.

Adam Hugill – Harry Maguire

Hugill has acted in several popular projects, including the films Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and 1917, as well as the TV series Sherwood and Pennyworth.

In Dear England, he plays Harry Maguire.

Josh Barrow – Jordan Pickford

You might recognize Barrow from roles in shows like ‘Hostage,’ ‘Vera,’ and ‘Temple’ before he plays Jordan Pickford in this production.

Lewis Shepherd – Dele Alli

Before appearing in this BBC series, Shepherd was a well-known stage actor and also played a role in the detective show Lynley.

David Shields – Jordan Henderson

Actor Shields has appeared in popular shows like Masters of the Air, Black Mirror, and The Crown. He now stars as Jordan Henderson in Dear England.

Jacob Greenway – Jude Bellingham

Greenway has appeared in several TV shows, including Sally Wainwright’s Riot Women, Father Brown, and Emmerdale. He currently plays Jude Bellingham in Dear England.

Riess Fennell – Jadon Sancho

You might recognize the actor Fennell from another football-themed show, as they also appeared in the BBC children’s series The Football Fantastics. Now playing Jadon Sancho, Fennell previously made a brief appearance in one episode of the soap opera Doctors.

Daniel Quincy Annoh – Ollie Watkins

Annoh is best known for his work in The Recruit. He’s also appeared in several short films, including Heaven, I Wanna Go There and Crab No.7.

In Dear England, he’s Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins.

Alfie Middlemiss – Phil Foden

Viewers of Emmerdale will recognize Middlemiss as Harry Murray. He’s also appeared in Doctors and the mystery series The Madame Blanc Mysteries.

Hamish Frew – Eric Dier

Frew appeared with Olivia Cooke, who stars in House of the Dragon, in The Girlfriend, and with Sophie Turner, known for Game of Thrones, in Joan.

Dom Rayner – Cole Palmer

Dear England is Rayner’s breakout role, and we can’t wait to see his performance as Cole Palmer.

Daniel Ryan – Steve Holland

Ryan played Graham in Such Brave Girls and D.I. Tony Manning in The Bay. Now, he’s taking on the role of football coach Steve Holland in Dear England.

Dear England is available to watch on BBC One at 9pm and can be streamed on iPlayer.

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The latest issue of Living Legends, a special collector’s edition about the royal family, is now available! You can purchase The Royals at newsstands or online.

2026-05-24 09:20