First look at Jack Lowden and Martin Freeman in new NT Live trailer for dark comedy The Fifth Step

National Theatre Live have today released a new trailer for The Fifth Step starring Olivier Award-winner Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Dunkirk) and Emmy and BAFTA-winner Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, The Responder).

The ‘raw, excruciating and often alarmingly funny’ (????? Daily Mail) The Fifth Step by David Ireland (Ulster American) will release to cinemas worldwide from 27 November, presented by Neal Street Productions, Playful Productions and National Theatre of Scotland in association with Nica Burns. Screenings available at thefifthstep.ntlive.com.



After years in Alcoholics Anonymous, James (Martin Freeman) becomes a sponsor to newcomer Luka (Jack Lowden). As Luka nears step five, a confession threatens the fragile friendship between them. Directed by Finn den Hertog, and originally presented in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow in 2024 by National Theatre of Scotland, the critically acclaimed new play was captured live from its sold-out London West End transfer in the intimate, in-the-round @sohoplace.

Jack Lowden has said: “Working on The Fifth Step has been an immensely rewarding experience. Collaborating once again with David and Finn has been a genuine privilege, and to share the stage with Martin, an actor I’ve long admired, has been as thrilling as I hoped – sharp, generous, and endlessly surprising. I’m so excited that this extraordinary play will now reach a wider audience through its cinema release."

Martin Freeman has said: "It has been a real pleasure to perform in The Fifth Step, and bringing this play to a wider audience is a real privilege. It’s funny, dark, and completely original - very much David Ireland doing what he does best. Performing opposite Jack has been a joy, and I’m delighted more people will now get to see the work we’ve all poured so much into."

Sky Arts is the Headline Sponsor of National Theatre Live in the UK.


Photo credit: Johan Persson