Binge gets into World Cup fever with Dear England.
Dear England begins in the European Championship in 1996, elegant defender Gareth Southgate volunteered to take a kick in the semi-final penalty shootout against Germany, a task his teammates weren’t too keen on. As history dictates, he misses and it’s a crucial moment.
20 years later, after a string of lackluster performances, England needs a new coach and Gareth Southgate (Joseph Fiennes) steps forward again and is hired as team manager. Quick to identify issues, he breaks new ground by hiring psychologist Pippa Grange (Jodie Whittaker) to help form a brotherhood and united team. Southgate assembles an English who’s who of football like Dele Alli (Lewis Shepherd), friendly Harry Maguire (Adam Hugill) and most revelatory is Will Antenbring’s Harry Kane.
Told over 4 episodes, the first 2 screened for this review, James Graham’s adaptation of his play works well on the small screen as it incorporates footage of games with Fiennes’ commanding presence and compelling performances from the young cast playing the players.
Dear England is a look at the pressure countries place on their sports teams and the impact it can have on the players.
4 stars
The first two episodes of Dear England are streaming now on BINGE and Foxtel On Demand. The final two episodes are released June 4th.
