He was widely praised for his ‘almost AI-grade exactness’ in playing Sir Gareth Southgate on stage.
And as these pictures show, Joseph Fiennes, with his neat beard and focused expression, has lost none of his uncanny resemblance to the former England manager.
The actor is reprising his role for the BBC adaptation of Dear England.
Fiennes, 53, was seen on set for the first time as filming got under way this week for the highly-anticipated four-part series, which will air next year.
The Shakespeare in Love star was spotted wearing an England training kit while recording scenes at top public school Harrow, which is being used for the squad’s Staffordshire training ground, St George’s Park.
He was joined by former Doctor Who star, Jodie Whittaker, who is playing the team’s psychologist Pippa Grange, and was seen wearing an official navy polo shirt.
Joseph Fiennes (left) is reprising his role as Gareth Southgate (right) for the BBC adaptation of Dear England
He was joined by former Doctor Who star, Jodie Whittaker (left), who is playing the team’s psychologist Pippa Grange (right), and was seen wearing an official navy polo shirt
A cast of actors has also been hired to play various members of the England team, including Will Antenbring (left) as Harry Kane (right)
The series, which is being made by Leftbank, the production company behind The Crown, will feature an all-star cast including Bafta winner Jason Watkins, 62, as FA chairman Greg Dyke.
A cast of actors has also been hired to play various members of the England team, including Will Antenbring as Harry Kane, Edem-Ita Duke as Marcus Rashford, Francis Lovehall as Raheem Sterling, and Jacob Greenway as Jude Bellingham.
Wayne Rooney will be played by Bobby Schofield, who most recently appeared in Liverpool-based drug mafia drama, This City Is Ours.
Dear England has been adapted for television by James Graham, who also wrote the play, and tells the story of Sir Gareth’s efforts to transform the team’s performance and address the nation’s long history of footballing disappointments – particularly penalty shootouts.
The show begins with a flashback to 1996 when Sir Gareth missed a penalty in the Euro 96 semi-final defeat by Germany at Wembley.
The plot charts the successes and failures of the men’s team under Sir Gareth: the 2018 World Cup in Russia, when England reached the semi-finals, the 2020 European Championships which led to defeat in the final, and the team’s quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Mr Graham has confirmed that the TV show will also include Euro 2024, where the team made the final, only to be beaten by Spain, Southgate’s last act as England manager before resigning.
Much of the action will take place in the grounds of £75,000-a-year Harrow.
Josh Barrow will feature as goalkeeping star Jordan Pickford
Adam Hugill will feature as Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire
Lewis Shepherd will star as Como player Dele Alli
Hamish Frew will play Monaco’s Eric Dier
Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson will be played by David Shields
Newcastle United right-back Kieran Trippier will be played by Michael Watson
Forward Marcus Rashford is played by Edem-Ita Duke
British actor Sam Spruell will play a fictional coach called Mike Webster (pictured)
Much of the action will take place in the grounds of £75,000-a-year Harrow. Pictured: Behind-the-scenes cast photo
Further scenes were filmed at Wolverhampton Wanderers’ ground Molineux last week, which is believed to be standing in for Wembley.
The play premiered at the National Theatre in 2023 to five-star reviews, winning an Olivier award for Best New Play and enjoying a sell-out run.
Joseph Fiennes was nominated for an Olivier award. It returned to the National Theatre earlier this year before embarking on a national tour.
James Graham said bringing football to the stage had been ‘one of the most rewarding moments of my writing life’.
- Dear England will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer next year.
