Breaking Baz: ‘Sherwood’s’ James Graham Hits West End With Alan Bleasdale’s ‘Boys From The Blackstuff’, Talks Europe-Set TV Thriller & Updates On Soccer Drama ‘Dear England’

deadline.com:

EXCLUSIVE: James Graham sets a mental timer of strictly 45 minutes for a conversation that will encompass tonight’s gala opening at London’s National Theatre — en route to a run at the Garrick Theatre — of his sublime stage adaptation of Alan Bleasdale’s landmark 1982 television drama Boys from the Blackstuff; followed by updates about the BBC TV version of his Olivier Award-winning soccer play Dear England, which will see him doing on-the-ground research at next month’s Euros in Germany; plus revelations about an epic new show he’s developing with House Productions that will explore the “mood sweeping across Europe.” The 45-minute time-frame is kinda apt because each half of a soccer game is three-quarters of an hour.

So let’s kick off with the football, and I’ll fill you in on Boys from the Blackstuff farther down the column. The playwright’s Dear England is ostensively about the beautiful game and England men’s football team manager Gareth Southgate’s attempts to transform the squad’s physical and mental acuity, but it’s underpinned by its spotlight on the country’s national identity and its ability to accept losing before they can win games again.

Joseph Fiennes, who portrayed Southgate on stage at the National and a transfer to the Prince Edward Theatre, will repeat the role in the TV production that will go before cameras later in the year.

Graham and the play’s director Rupert Goold, artistic chief of north London’s Almeida Theatre, travel to Germany “to hang out with some people at the [Football Association] who’ve been very generous with access to games and people.” And because it’s a show for the BBC, Graham’s hoping “to be with some of the BBC Studios guys like Gary Lineker and just see how that process