Welcome to Wrexham

Disney+, Thursday 25 August

W hen news spread in 2020 that Ryan Deadpool Reynolds wanted to buy a Welsh football club, we presumed it was one of his hilarious Twitter gags. But as it turns out, Ryan was deadly serious. Now, this docuseries follows his and fellow actor Rob Mcelhenney’s journey to buy the third oldest professional football club in the world and elevate it – and the town – to glory.

WHY WREXHAM?

This is key question is central to the opening ep, and football novices Ryan and Rob acknowledge it seems a batshit crazy idea – and one that could easily earn them bad-guy status, especially if they can’t make it a success and have to sell. They are candid about their motivation, though. For Ryan, it stems from a long held need to impress his now-deceased dad, who always wanted his son to play sports. Whereas Philadelphia sports fan Rob understands the joy of supporting a team and the huge benefits it brings to a working-class town, and wants to be part of underdog Wrexham’s success story.

DECISION TIME

With the club owned by its fans, who have been burnt by previous owners, Ryan and Rob must pitch to them and explain what they will bring to the table – and it’s fascinating to see how nervous Hollywood star Ryan gets. The guys inevitably get the supporters’ approval by a huge majority, but there are still many hurdles for them to overcome – and we can’t wait to watch it all unfold.