‘Southgate was mortified that the play was happening!’ – Mansfield Town fan James Graham on his play Dear England

The play explores Gareth Southgate’s tenure as England manager. It uses Southgate’s revolutionary approach – his belief that in order to conquer their fear of the penalty shootout, the players needed to cultivate a different, warmer and more inclusive version of masculinity – to examine the state of England itself, and of men’s role within an ever-changing society where allegiance to the national football team is a badge of pride.

Multi-award-winning stage and screen writer, James Graham – a Mansfield Town fan – sits down to talk about the play, his inspiration, background and more.

What did you feel when you met Gareth Southgate?

Well, he’s a hero, so I felt nervous. But I was relieved that he didn’t remotely disappoint. I felt moved by his humility, his evident decency and his normality. He gave me confidence. I felt like a bit of a fraud in the world of competitive male sport. I wasn't a sporty person at school. PE was my least favourite subject. I wanted to do plays, but I felt safe with Gareth - he's a bit more like me, slightly shyer and softer and not an alpha male in the traditional sense. In a very Gareth Southgate way, he was mortified that the play was happening and that a famous actor was playing him. He said he wanted to help, but he would never come and see it.

Have other England players come to see the play?

Former England greats such as Gary Lineker, David Seaman and Ian Wright have come along. Lee Dixon too. And members of the women’s team such as Alex Scott. The reaction has been really positive because they think that what Gareth has done is extraordinary and it’s exciting for them to come to a theatre and see their world reflected. They also enjoyed the comedic impressions of people they’re familiar with. Gary Lineker thought Gunnar Cauthery, who played him when he caught the production in 2023, was bang on.

Dear England is now being made into a four-part TV series for BBC One. Can you tell me about that?

I’m writing it as we speak and we are going to be filming it over the summer. On stage, it’s a big panorama, quite comedic and the football is very abstract. That all plays to theatre’s strengths. On television, it’s going to be more literal and naturalistic, with more of the behind-the-scenes machinations and more of the players’ interior lives.

Were you a sporty kid or a nerd?

An absolute nerd. I tried to get out of games all the time. I did support Nottingham Forest and Mansfield Town but didn’t follow club football like some people do. It was the sheer operatic scale of World Cups and international tournaments, the stakes of them, the fact that they only come round so often, that I loved. I had to get over my imposter syndrome with this play, and in a very Gareth Southgate way, what I’ve learned is you can’t fake it. I knew I had to walk into a room of young actors who could explain the offside rule in two and a half seconds and admit that there are things about football I don't know or feel innately. I feel the drama and passion of it but I don’t know the data.

Why do you love theatre so much?

Because there’s nothing else in the modern world except arguably sport, arguably football, that demands you leave your home and go to a physical space and sit in proximity with your community and laugh and cry together. You interrogate your nation together, and the systems that run it, and what it is to be alive together and it’s that final bit of being together that makes it just electric. I felt that the first time I was ever in a play at school. The feeling of making your neighbours laugh and sharing it as an endeavour with your castmates. The chemical reaction of it is extraordinary. It’s the most eruptive thing I experience in my life, and it is so satisfying.

Dear England is at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal from Tuesday September 23 to Saturday September 27. The theatre hosts an In Conversation with James Graham event in the Dress Circle Foyer on Thursday September 25 at 6pm, for which admission is free but tickets are required. Visit trch.co.uk or call 0115 989 5555 to book.