Joseph Fiennes shares update on Gareth Southgate TV series and how he'll be watching the Euros

When Joseph Fiennes watches the Euros this Summer, the experience may be a little odd.

The Emmy-nominated actor recently portrayed the England football team’s manager Gareth Southgate on stage in the play Dear England, winning Fiennes rave reviews and a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor. The BBC has even commissioned a TV adaptation.

Fiennes: Return to the Wild premieres on National Geographic on Sunday, 26 May at 8pm, followed by the second episode on Sunday, 2 June at 8pm.

Video transcript

Because obviously the Euros is coming up and watching someone like someone you've played someone whose psyche you've gone into Might does that feel surreal?

Does it feel like you're kind of watching someone, you know?

Almost.

If you're watching Gareth Southgate managing them, Yeah.

I mean, I feel somewhat connected or the play is Is it deals with so many more themes and just football football, sort of a metaphor where we we we look at identity and national identity and other themes and politics.

But I'm certainly looking at the Euros.

I'm I'm wildly excited, and I do feel incredibly nervous.

Um, I believe the squad has just been named.

It's It's quite an interesting young component to the squad, which seems to be very much leaning into the theory of bringing in young, which was, I think, the big success of Of Gareth and, um, you know, he he he knows well how it works in the under 20 ones.

And so it's interesting to me he's picking young players.

Um, especially in defence.

It seems to be one or two.

Very, very good.

Wonderful, strong young, um, talents being brought in.

Um, yeah, but I do it's It's funny.

I'll be watching this, um, in a very different way.

And I've not done this production.

And you have the TV show coming up as well.

TV adaptation Going on?

I don't know.

Um, it's a little bit like the group stages, I think with the BBC.

I think maybe we have to.

You know, I think James has to do the heavy lifting.

James Graham, a wonderful, illustrious, prolific writer, has to deliver the scripts, and then they have to be kind of accepted, I guess.

And then we move on to the next stage of possibly going into production next year.

Fingers crossed, fingers crossed.

Maybe it will be a new narrative.

Who knows what the what this year will bring because obviously that will affect what next year might the tail, but we will be told next year