Dear England review: Hugely watchable account of one man’s effort to reverse World Cup woes

Gareth Southgate's tenure as England manager is the subject of "Dear England," a drama adapted for BBC One from James Graham's acclaimed play. The series, starring Joseph Fiennes as Southgate, uses the national soccer team's journey as a prism to explore the English psyche in a post-Brexit world.

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a lot of us are going to watch it for the sheer pleasure of witnessing England lose – not once or twice, but thrice.

The drama revisits England's major tournament failures, including Southgate's missed penalty at Euro '96, the 2018 World Cup semi-final loss to Croatia, and the Euro 2020 final defeat. These moments are presented not just as sporting disappointments but as reflections of a nation grappling with its identity.

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Southgate is played by his uncanny lookalike Joseph Fiennes, reprising his performance from the stage version to depict the manager as embodying all that is best about England (in the view of English people at least).

Fiennes embodies Southgate as a reserved, quietly spoken, and intense figure, contrasting sharply with the perceived chaos of British politics at the time. His leadership style and perceived humility offered a sense of pride and an "underdog" narrative that resonated with many, positioning him as an antithesis to figures like Boris Johnson.

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He was humble, soft-spoken – no born winner but a glorious underdog.

The play delves into Southgate's psychological approach, particularly his strategy of convincing the team and nation that they weren't expected to win, paradoxically aiming to ensure victory. This tactic, however, ultimately led to similar shock and disappointment when England failed to secure the World Cup. The drama also features Jodie Whittaker as team psychologist Pippa Grange.

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Southgate’s psychological sleight of hand was to convince both team and nation that if they pretended they weren’t going to win, they were definitely 100 per cent going to this time.