Dear England…

The highly acclaimed stage play Dear England is highly recommended for any Not-Your-Average-England-Fan

The show stars Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love; Elizabeth) as Gareth Southgate, who is shown endeavouring to conceive, create and cohere a new England. The culture change that Southgate and his staff engender reflects the diversity and sensibilities of modern England: football catches up with reality.

Evocative melodies of football-associated music pepper the play, from New Order’s World in Motion to, inevitably, Three Lions; even Fat Les’s Vindaloo makes an appearance. But such music is not overplayed, with the only repeated refrain The Verve’s violin introduction of Bittersweet Symphony (long-used by ITV in their England coverage).

Active England fans will particular enjoy scenes they attended in person, whether in Qatar 2022, the 2020 Euros or Russia 2018 - the Colombia penalty shootout scene in Moscow was a standout hit within my family. It felt like we were re-living the almost torturous bonding experience that we experienced at England’s first ever world cup penalty shootout victory. It’s very much a teen-friendly production, and features many high profile England players from the Southgate era.

Remaining tickets are available at the Prince Edward Theatre - book your tickets soon because the run ends on January 13, 2024. For disabled fans, you’ll find the info and contact details you need here (and the view from our easy access seats was fantastic - see the photos above).

The play will also be shown as a film at cinemas around England from January 25, 2024 - see details here.