Latest news with #JodieWhittaker
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jodie Whittaker, Jason Watkins Added to BBC Cast for ‘Dear England'
The BBC has confirmed the full cast for Dear England, a four-part drama based on James Graham's Olivier Award-winning play about Gareth Southgate and the England men's football team. Dr. Who star Jodie Whittaker, The Crown alum Jason Watkins and British actor Daniel Ryan (The Bay) are new additions to the ensemble cast. Shakespeare in Love and The Handmaid's Tale actor Joseph Fiennes will reprise his stage role as Gareth Southgate, the England manager who took over a team with a historically poor record in penalty shoot-outs. Whittaker will play team psychologist Pippa Grange. Watkins will portray former Football Association chairman Greg Dyke. Ryan plays former assistant manager Steve Holland. More from The Hollywood Reporter Vicky Krieps on Jim Jarmusch, Choosing "to Not Prepare" for Roles, Ditching Her Phone for a Year First Czech-Viet Feature 'Summer School, 2001' and Anime Series: Duzan Duong Is Everywhere at KVIFF Netflix Says 50 Percent of Global Users Now Watch Anime, Reveals Expanded Slate Several castmembers from the play will reprise their roles for TV, including John Hodgkinson, returning as former FA chairman Greg Clarke, Adam Hugill playing Harry Maguire, Josh Barrow as Jordan Pickford and Lewis Shepherd as Dele Alli. Other castmembers include Will Antenbring as Harry Kane, Edem-Ita Duke as Marcus Rashford, Francis Lovehall as Raheem Sterling, Abdul Sessay as Bukayo Saka and Jacob Greenway as Jude Bellingham. Billed as a fictional account of real events, based on extensive research and interviews, Dear England debuted at the National Theatre in 2023 to critical acclaim, winning the Olivier Award for best new play. James Graham serves as writer and executive producer on the series. Rupert Goold, who directed the stage version, will direct the first episode, with Paul Whittington directing episodes two through four. Tina Pawlik is producing. Executive producers include Graham and Goold, Andy Harries and Rebecca Hodgson for Left Bank Pictures, and Jo McClellan and Sami El-Hadi for the BBC. Produced by Left Bank Pictures, the series is now being filmed in the South of England. It will premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in 2026. Sony Pictures Television will handle international distribution. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
The Sun
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Award-winning actor transforms into ex-England boss Gareth Southgate for TV mini-series – can you tell who the star is?
THIS award-winning actor transformed into ex-England boss Gareth Southgate for new TV mini series. The British actor, 55, was tried to keep a low profile as he was spotted on set BBC's adaption of James Graham's play Dear England. 9 9 9 The famous face will be taking on the role of Gareth in a four-part TV series. He was seen wearing a black polo shirt and a khaki cap back to front. But have you worked out who it is yet? It's Shakespeare in Love actor Joseph Fiennes. 9 9 9 9 He will be starring alongside Doctor Who's Jodie Whittaker, who is set to star as England men's team psychologist Pippa Grange. Another photo showed Joseph in a navy jacket with his thick beard, resembling former football star Gareth, 54. There are a number of other famous faces set to star. Jason Watkins from The Game joins the cast as former FA chairman Greg Dyke and The Bay's Daniel Ryan is former assistant manager for the England men's team Steve Holland. While Sam Spruell's The Gold plays fictional coach Mike Webster and John Hodgkinson reprises his Dear England stage role as former FA chairman Greg Clarke. In 2023, Joseph took on the role of portraying Gareth in a theatre production called Dear England. It chronicled Gareth's highs and lows during his seven-year spell as Three Lions boss. It was written by acclaimed playwright James Graham and takes its name from a letter Gareth penned to supporters before the Euro 2022 final. Ex-England defender Gareth was appointed national team boss in 2016 and led them to a World Cup semi and Euros final before this winter's last-eight showing at Qatar 2022. The Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy two years ago was England's first appearance in a major final since they won the World Cup on home soil in 1966. Gareth's missed shoot-out penalty in a Euro 1996 semi-final clash against Germany made him a household name for all the wrong reasons. Two years ago, his journey was recreated at the National Theatre for the public to enjoy. Joseph, who has starred in major films like Enemy At The Gates and Shakespeare in Love, attempted to do Gareth justice in the play. The play's synopsis said: "The country that gave the world football has since delivered a painful pattern of loss. "Why can't England's men win at their own game? "With the worst track record for penalties in the world, Gareth Southgate knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt to take team and country back to the promised land." Joseph is the younger brother of Harry Potter and James Bond star Ralph Fiennes. Both his sisters, Martha and Sophie, are film directors. Joseph is known for playing Commander Fred Waterford in The Handmaid's Tale. What else has Joseph Fiennes starred in? Joseph played Commisar Danilov in 2001's Enemy at the Gates with Jude Law. He is also well known for his portrayal as the corrupt Monsignor Timothy Howard in the second season of American Horror Story. Joseph married Swiss-Spanish model Maria Dolores Dieguez in 2009. The couple have two daughters together, Isabel and Sam. 9 9
UPI
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Jodie Whittaker, Jason Watkins join 'Dear England' cast
1 of 2 | Jodie Whittaker has joined the cast of the BBC miniseries "Dear England." File Photo by Vickie Flores/EPA July 7 (UPI) -- Doctor Who alum Jodie Whittaker and The Crown actor Jason Watkins have joined the cast of the BBC's screen adaptation of James Graham's play Dear England. Filming has begun on the four-part series about Gareth Southgate and the England soccer team. Joseph Fiennes was previously announced to play athlete and team manager Southgate. "We're so thrilled to announce such a fantastic cast for Dear England and it has been a joy to witness the comradery within this top team as they start filming," Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said in a statement Monday. "With Joseph Fiennes and Jodie Whittaker leading the cast, Rupert Gold and Paul Whittington directing and Left Bank Pictures producing, BBC viewers are in for a real treat."
The Sun
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Future of gritty BBC drama ‘with obvious parallels to Netflix's Adolescence' revealed
THE first two series of Time won praise and awards, and now I can reveal the prison drama will be back for a third stretch. Written once more by the acclaimed Jimmy McGovern, filming is set to start later this year with a view to potentially airing on BBC One in 2026. 5 5 The debut season was set in a men's jail, the second a female-only facility, and this run of episodes will take place in an institution for young offenders. A TV insider said: 'The parallels between the new show's central topic and Netflix's recent hit, Adolescence, are obvious, but entirely coincidental. 'Though both deal with adolescent offending and its consequences, the third series of Time would most likely have gone down this path anyway. 'But it is certainly a theme which will prove highly immersive for audiences who have already been introduced to the world of young offenders through Adolescence. 'It's not clear yet which actors will take the lead in the new show, but the lead roles are guaranteed to be sought after.' The first series of Time aired on BBC One in 2021, starring Stephen Graham as a prison guard and Sean Bean as a lag. At the 2022 BAFTA TV Awards, it won Best Mini-Series, while Sean scooped the Best Actor gong and Stephen was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Season two aired in 2023, also on BBC One, starring Jodie Whittaker, fresh from playing the Doctor in Doctor Who, and The Last Of Us star Bella Ramsey. But before taking us back behind bars, writer Jimmy is likely to be preoccupied with the publicity for his next BBC show, Unforgivable, which stars Anna Friel, David Threlfall and Anna Maxwell Martin. Set and filmed in Liverpool, the BBC Two and iPlayer fictional drama will look at the impact of grooming and sexual abuse on a family, and is expected to air later this year. The BBC was approached for comment. Stephen Graham and Ashley Walters' acclaimed drama Adolescence smashes huge Netflix record by DOUBLE after taking world by storm Dancers go on the run 5 There'll soon be more than one TV show offering an interesting Strictly pairing. I can reveal that pro dancers Carlos Gu and Amy Dowden, who are also gearing up for this year's BBC dance contest, are forming a duo for the next Celebrity Hunted on Channel 4. They'll be joined on the series, which has yet to get an air date, by Love Island hunks Chris Taylor and Toby Aromolaran, who'll also form a pair. Former EastEnders star Brian Conley and his daughter Lucy, who's also an entertainer, join the line up. And yesterday Scarlette Douglas and her brother Stuart – hosts of Channel 4's Worst House On The Street – were also announced as contestants. As they all go on the run, it's likely Amy and Carlos will be lightest on their feet. The BBC's hunt for the next John Motson lands today. Last Pundit Standing airs on iPlayer, TikTok and YouTube and follows 12 passionate footie fans competing for a job on BBC Sport. Ex-player Troy Deeney hosts with YouTube football guru James Allcott. Frank feels the heat TV host and comedian Frank Skinner ended up in A&E last week after getting sunburnt digging up a body in last week's heatwave. It wasn't even for any kind of show, he just decided to take part in an archaeological dig for fun in his own time. Talking on the latest episode of his podcast Frank On The Radio, which has recently dropped, the comic explained: 'I was exhuming an Anglo-Saxon body. 'I was given a grave, you're working away and then a skull appears. 'I really hate sun block so I don't normally use it, I just think: 'Keep an eye on the clock – 20 minutes on my front, 20 minutes on my back'. 'But it was so hot last Monday – I actually ended up in A&E I was so badly burnt.'
Geek Vibes Nation
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'Doctor Who: Vampire Weekend' Review - A Horror Comedy Romp Kicks Off The Thirteenth Doctor's Audio Debut
When the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz returned to TV screens in 2021's 'The Halloween Apocalypse', nearly a year after previous companions Ryan and Graham departed in 'Revolution of the Daleks', it was clear some time had passed for the time-traveling duo. But what happened during that period between 'Revolution of the Daleks' and 'The Halloween Apocalypse'? Enter Big Finish Productions' new ongoing Thirteenth Doctor series of audio dramas, set in that gap between seasons. And Tim Foley's 'Vampire Weekend' kicks off this new series of adventures with a bang as the Doctor crashes the hen-do of one of Yaz's oldest friends, hot on the heel of a supernatural terror. It's a funny, thrilling Doctor Who romp in the best of ways that perfectly mixes the Thirteenth Doctor's frenetic energy with some much-needed quieter character moments for the Doctor and Yaz. The Hen-Do From Hell When Yaz (Mandip Gill) takes a break from traveling with the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) to celebrate the upcoming wedding of one of her closest friends, she's hoping for a quiet weekend of old-fashioned fun. But, naturally, the Doctor crashes the party, hot on the heels of a vampire from the dawn of time, and things take a turn for the nightmarish. With a vampire lurking amidst the halls of the beautiful manor, Yaz's friends turn on each other one after another as paranoia and suspicion set in. Can the Doctor and Yaz find and defeat the vampire before it's too late? Or is this destined to be the get-together from hell? Tim Foley's 'Vampire Weekend' offers a supernatural take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery. It's And Then There Were None but with vampires and every bit as fun as it sounds. 'Vampire Weekend' offers up a bit of a Clue-style runaround in the most Doctor Who of ways. It's got the energy of an episode like 'Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror', with its campy atmosphere and frantic running to and fro. But it's also got heaps of quieter character moments, like the ones that made 'Flux' stand out against much of the rest of the Thirteenth Doctor's televised era. The ending ties things up a bit too neatly, particularly in the last few minutes, but the whole story never fails to be anything less than immensely enjoyable. It's got exactly the energy everyone hoped for when Whittaker was first introduced as the Doctor, and hearing her here, removed from the baggage of the Timeless Child arc, breathes new life into the character. A Two-Handed Caper Much of the story's success rests on Whittaker and Gill's electric chemistry. They immediately fall right back into their roles, as though it were only yesterday they'd last played them on television. It helps that Foley's script gives them both ample time to connect with each other. So much of the Thirteenth Doctor's TV era was characterized by its frenetic pacing and its wealth of characters, with all four of the main companions frequently feeling like afterthoughts in any given episode—a curse that plagued Yaz most of all. But 'Vampire Weekend' takes great steps to rectify that, really focusing on the Doctor and Yaz's ongoing relationship, exploring how the characters get from the end of 'Revolution of the Daleks' to that opening scene of 'The Halloween Apocalypse' on an emotional level. The way Foley's script uses vampires aids greatly in those character beats too. The vampires here are less like your traditional vampire and more like a Colin Robison from What We Do in the Shadows kind of vampire. They compel their victims to tell the truth, which always creates some juicy character drama well worth mining. We get to see both Yaz and the Doctor struggle with their relationship a bit—how well do they know one another, how much do they trust one another, do they even want to keep traveling together at all after this? It's all meaty stuff, and it's nice hearing Whittaker and Gill get to dive into those kinds of complexities. It's the kind of emotional drama that often got hinted at in 'Flux' and the 13th Doctor's final set of TV specials, but never quite got explored to its fullest extent. Final Thoughts If you're a hardcore fan of the Thirteenth Doctor's TV era, there's a lot to love about 'Vampire Weekend'. Put simply, it takes everything you loved about her TV seasons and relishes playing within that toybox. But, better yet, if you had more mixed emotions about those episodes, there's just as much to love about Foley's script. Wanted more standalone stories? Check. Longing for some quieter, more character-driven moments? Check. It's all right here in this very quintessential Doctor Who romp. As the debut episode of a new series of Thirteenth Doctor audio adventures, it hits all the notes you'd want it to. And as a standalone story in its own right, it's immensely enjoyable. Packed with some meaty character development and enough twists, turns, and scares to make a horror fanatic tremble, 'Vampire Weekend' is a delightful listen from start to finish and a promising beginning to a new era of Thirteenth Doctor stories. Doctor Who: Vampire Weekend is available now from Big Finish Productions.
