Joseph Fiennes: "Two Hours of Prosthetics Every Morning" | Dear England & Gareth Southgate

Joseph Fiennes and Jodie Whittaker spoke to HeyUGuys at the Dear England press junket in London, delivering one of the most thoughtful and wide-ranging interviews of the series' promotional campaign. Fiennes — who endured two hours of daily prosthetics to become Gareth Southgate on screen — speaks with refreshing honesty about the nerve-shredding leap from stage to TV, where, as he puts it plainly, there is simply "no escape." Whittaker is equally compelling on the toll borne by England's young players, drawing a quietly devastating contrast: "that brain does not have the same amount of care." Together they make the case that Dear England is as much about identity, mental health and what it means to represent a fractured nation as it will ever be about football. Interviews for Dear England at the [VENUE TBC] Junket. The four-part BBC drama stars Joseph Fiennes, Jodie Whittaker, Jason Watkins, John Hodgkinson, Daniel Ryan and Sam Spruell, with an ensemble squad cast including Adam Hugill, Will Antenbring, Edem-Ita Duke, Francis Lovehall, Jacob Greenway and Abdul Sessay; it was written by James Graham and directed by Rupert Goold and Paul Whittington. Stefan Pape asks the questions. Plot: Adapted from James Graham's Olivier Award-winning stage play, Dear England follows Gareth Southgate as he takes on the most scrutinised job in British sport. Tasked with rebuilding a fractured national side haunted by decades of heartbreak and penalty shootout failures, Southgate enlists team psychologist Pippa Grange to reshape not only the squad, but the psychology of English football itself. A fictionalised retelling of the defining struggles and triumphs of England's modern football era. Dear England will be available on BBC iPlayer from 24th May 2026, with episodes also airing on BBC One on Sunday and Monday nights at 9pm. #DearEngland #JosephFiennes #JodieWhittaker #GarethSouthgate #BBC #HeyUGuys #BBCDrama #EnglishFootball #MentalHealth #PressJunket #Interview #JamesGraham --------------------- For syndication or usage opportunities please contact [email protected]. --------------------- More from HeyUGuys: Website ► http://HeyUGuys.com Follow us on Twitter ►   / heyuguys   Subscribe here! ► http://bit.ly/HeyUGuysYTSub Facebook ►   / heyuguys   Instagram ►   / heyuguysofficial   TikTok ►   / heyuguysofficial   ---------------------