Press Reviews for The Fifth Step
★★★★★ Daily Mail ‘Raw, excruciating and often alarmingly funny’
★★★★ The Times ‘Lowden is “staggeringly good”’
★★★★ Evening Standard ‘Two actors at the top of their game’
★★★★ Financial Times “taut, funny and richly compassionate”
★★★★ WhatsOnStage ‘Freeman and Lowden spar like champions’
★★★★ London Theatre ‘Scorching, blackly comic two-hander’
★★★★ Stage ‘compelling, character-driven exploration of recovery, identity, and trust’
★★★★ Guardian ‘Hilarious two-hander’
Spring/Summer Programme sees more NTLive at Pelham Hall - the following will be shown:
The Fifth Step : Olivier Award-winner Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Dunkirk) is joined by Emmy and BAFTA-winner Martin Freeman (The Responder, Sherlock, Fargo) in the critically acclaimed and subversively funny new play.
Wed 11th of Feb at 7.00pm in Pelham Hall.
Mon 16th of Feb at 7.00pm in Pelham Hall
After years in the 12-step programme of Alcoholics Anonymous, James becomes a sponsor to newcomer Luka. The pair bond over black coffee, trade stories and build a fragile friendship out of their shared experiences. But as Luka approaches step five – the moment of confession – dangerous truths emerge, threatening the trust on which both of their recoveries depend.
The following additional productions are planned, watch out for details on dates and timing:
Hamlet Olivier award winner Hiran Abeysekera is Hamlet in this fearless, contemporary take on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. February 2026
The Audience One of the most-watched NT Live productions of all time. Academy Award winner Helen Mirren plays Queen Elizabeth II in the much-anticipated return of the Olivier Award-winning hit production.
All My Sons The Arthur Miller classic featuring Brain Cranston and Marianne Jean-Baptiste in a new ‘sold out’ West End production.
The Playboy of the Western World This adaptation of the classic Irish play is currently on stage at the National Theatre. Coming this summer
Les Liaisons Dangereuses Coming this summer
Watch a short Trailer
NT Live brings the best of British theatre to your local screen.
Theatre is filmed in front of a live audience from inside the auditorium with multiple cameras. Each production is approached uniquely making sure to always capture it in the best possible way for screens.
Audiences feel like they are in the theatre with the best seats in the house. They will see all those emotional close-ups in a whole new way.
We have access to sold-out productions, and to theatre from London and the West End at a fraction of the price of a London theatre ticket.
Most shows will include an interval of approximately 20 minutes - have a delicious ice-cream and/or grab a drink at the bar.