I leave Corfu airport (a week’s holiday sailing around the coast with pals) for Düsseldorf and England’s opening match in the Euros against Serbia. James Graham and I are guests of the FA, all part of the research for Dear England 2.0, a four-part BBC series adapted from his hit play, which we will shoot in 2025 with Rupert Goold directing and Joe Fiennes reprising his alter ego England manager Gareth Southgate.
The pair set out from their base in the Italian countryside to uncover some of the best wines the country has to offer, and the stories behind them.
Joining the performers for The Wine Show are wine experts Joe Fattorini and Amelia Singer, who will guide the novice wine drinkers through some of the world’s finest drinks. Gizzi Erskine will also act as a food expert in the US.
The final episode of Downton Abbey will feature “all the love and loss, happiness and heartbreak” fans of the show have come to expect, ITV and Carnival Films have promised.
The final series came to an end last weekend, as viewers watched Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) wed racing driver Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode), however the show will return for a final hurrah on Christmas Day.
The special episode will follow the Crawley family and their servants as they prepare to celebrate New Year’s Eve together and welcome in 1926.
