'Dear England' sets lead casting for National Theatre return

Gwilym Lee will play the lead role of football manager Gareth Southgate, taking over from Joseph Fiennes who received an Olivier nod for his performance.

Initial casting has been set for the return of the Olivier Award-winning play Dear England, written by James Graham. The show will return to the National Theatre in London for a 10-week run in March 2025.

Gwilym Lee, who has starred in a number of Shakespeare's plays, as well as the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), will play the lead role of football manager Gareth Southgate, as he attempts to coach the England men's team to success. Lee takes over from Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid's Tale), who received an Olivier Award nomination for his performance.

Graham's play will not be the same as the original 2023 production, and will have evolved to incorporate the events of this summer’s UEFA European Championship.

Lee said: “I am thrilled to return to the stage after seven years (and to the National Theatre after nearly twice that) to play Gareth Southgate in Rupert Goold’s brilliant production. I can’t say I grew up with football in my bones, like some, but even I was swept up on the wave of excitement and optimism that this group of players under Gareth Southgate created again and again. They struck a chord that resonated beyond the world of football and started a conversation about things like identity, leadership and Englishness that James Graham so passionately encapsulates in this play. I can’t wait to take on the role and continue this conversation.”

The show’s creative team includes director Rupert Goold, set designer Es Devlin, costume designer Evie Gurney, lighting designer Jon Clark, co-movement directors Ellen Kane and Hannes Langolf, video designer Ash J Woodward, co-sound designers Dan Balfour and Tom Gibbons, additional music by Max Perryment, and revival director Elin Schofield.

Additional casting is yet to be announced.

Book Dear England tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk