David Shields on starring in 'Punch'

David Shields has starred in Punch since its very first performances at Nottingham Playhouse in 2024. Now he takes this shocking account of a true, life-altering story to the West End.

Summary

• David Shields is reprising his performance as Jacob Dunne following his Nottingham Playhouse and Young Vic runs
• Punch tells the true story of a one-punch crime that killed trainee paramedic James Hodgkinson
• Punch is running concurrently on Broadway and in the West End

It has been a big year for David Shields. The actor, known for Masters of the Air and The Crown, is filming a TV adaptation of James Graham’s hit play Dear England, about Gareth Southgate’s England football team. Cast as Jordan Henderson, Shields says from location, “I can’t tell you where we are, but it’s a lot of late nights kicking balls around.”

Today, though, we are discussing another Graham project — “I can’t get away from the guy!” — that Shields has been involved with since the beginning.

Punch tells the harrowing true story of Jacob Dunne (played by Shields), who killed trainee paramedic James Hodgkinson with a single punch on a night out in Nottingham. The fatal blow could have ended not one but two lives that night, but through a process of restorative justice with Hodgkinson’s parents, Dunne found a way to rebuild his life.

Based on Dunne’s memoir Right From Wrong, Punch was born, beginning its journey at Nottingham Playhouse, before transferring to the Young Vic earlier this year, and now the West End.

Shields spoke to London Theatre Magazine about the play’s power, connecting with audiences, and navigating challenging moments.

How does it feel to make your West End debut with this show?
Years ago, I did a play in a kind of subterranean tunnel in South Kensington Tube. After that, I did a play above a pub, and then Punch is my third professional show. It’s been quite the journey from Nottingham, and it’s nice that the show is reaching the potential I always thought it had [...] The quality of the writing being what it is, and the story being as powerful as it is has made [my debut] extra special. The fact that we’re dealing with real people has definitely raised the stakes for us as actors. We just want to make sure that we’re doing those people justice and taking care of their stories.

What was it like getting to know your character, Jacob, in real life?
It was super useful to have Jacob [in the rehearsal room]. He was there from the first day, so I got to ask him all the questions and he helped to fill in the blanks of his motivations at different stages in his journey that I didn’t quite understand. I could study him and his mannerisms and during rehearsals in the little breaks between scenes he was able to givehis perspective on growing up in Nottingham or what really led him to engage in the restorative justice process. [Hodgkinson’s parents] Joan and David came in and spoke to all the cast, which was especially useful for Tony [Hirst] and Julie [Hesmondhalgh, who play their characters].

There must have been some challenging moments too.
Joan and David came to a final rehearsal in Nottingham, which was a really difficult experience because we were in a brightly lit rehearsal space and we were rehearsing the punch that killed their son, or them turning off the life-support machine. The most painful moments in their lives. To be truthful, it felt quite wrong what we were doing. There was a part of all of us that was asking, ‘What are we doing?’. Jacob’s there as well and they’re in tears and that created a highly charged performance by all of us.

Having said all of that, I’m so glad we did it because there were aspects that they weren’t happy with that we were able to change. For example, David didn’t like the fact that a series of characters referred to the incident as an accident. You don’t punch someone accidentally, do you? James [Graham] took that line, that criticism that David made in that rehearsal process, and then put it into the play. It’s an example of how good James is at listening to his subjects.

And, incredibly, this show is also playing concurrently on Broadway. How do you think this story, which is rooted in the Midlands, will translate to US audiences?
There are a lot of universal themes of masculinity, bad architecture, dysfunction in education, the prison system, and the criminal justice system. I think those will translate. It is still a play about identity and place and I think we have an insecurity that is misplaced about being too specific. I don’t think anyone questions people watching Tennessee Williams [plays] over and over again or plays by Chekhov.

Has the show changed your thoughts on forgiveness?
Joan is the real hero of the piece, along with David. What she managed to achieve and, in a sense, overcome is completely extraordinary. I learned that forgiveness isn’t just some saintly, lofty thing. It’s hard. Julie often says, “It has teeth to it.” I think Joan arrived at the place she did because she realised — as said in the play — that nothing else is working, and actually this is as much for themselves, for her, as it is about Jacob. For some people it will be too much to forgive and that’s also okay. But as long as they wrestle with the question, there might be some value to it.

What has the audience response been like in the show’s previous runs?
It’s been incredible to see the amount of people who have stayed behind [for our post-show talks]. Often completely full houses, which speaks to this yearning to talk about it — and that’s when theatre is at its best. In Nottingham, audiences would stay outside the theatre underneath these festoon lamps and stand around and talk for hours, and the same happened at the Young Vic. This is a really accessible piece, so I hope as many young people are going to come as possible. We’re going to have shows for schools, special-interest groups, ex-offender groups, as well as other charities.

What do you think the future looks like for Punch?
I have no doubt that this play will be staged for years and years to come, and will be played all around the country in schools and theatres. Our production team is going to ensure that that happens.

Book Punch tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

This article first appeared in the October 2025 issue of London Theatre Magazine.

Photo credit: David Shields. (Courtesy of production). Inset: in Punch, and Julie Hesmondhalgh and Tony Hirst also in Punch. (Photos by Marc Brenner)