Hollywood star and Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds has disclosed a frantic behind-the-scenes moment where a panicked player forced a last-minute edit to the globally popular Welcome to Wrexham documentary.
The Desperate 2am Phone Call
Reynolds recounted receiving a call from a Wrexham player at two o'clock in the morning, with the athlete reportedly "freaking out" over a split-second shot featured in the show's opening credits. The player was terrified that the brief moment could have serious, life-altering consequences for his personal life.
The call came at an intensely busy period for the actor, who was deep into overnight editing sessions for Deadpool & Wolverine while shooting another movie during the day. Reynolds admitted he was initially sceptical about the feasibility of the player's request, believing it impossible to alter a series already streaming to millions worldwide.
The Scramble to Edit a Live Series
"I was like, 'Man, in Poland, someone is watching this show right now. You don't just pull something off streaming, edit it and then put it back up'," Reynolds recently told an audience at The Wall Street Journal's CMO Council Summit in New York.
However, the player's desperate pleas, including a repeated "Please, please, just try," prompted the co-owner to investigate. To his surprise, he discovered he was "dead wrong" and that it was indeed technically possible to pull down, edit, and re-upload the content.
Reynolds chose not to reveal the identity of the player or the specific nature of the sensitive footage that was ultimately removed from the credits.
The Global Impact of Welcome to Wrexham
This dramatic incident highlights the immense global reach of the docu-series, which has just concluded its fourth season and has been commissioned for a fifth. The show has won multiple Emmy Awards and, according to an August report by the Financial Times, attracts as many as five million viewers per episode.
The series has been instrumental in transforming the fortunes of the Welsh club, documenting its journey under the ownership of Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. This has included three consecutive promotions, taking the team from the National League to the Championship.
The documentary's success has translated into significant commercial benefits. Club officials now expect commercial revenue this season to rival some Premier League teams, driven by a sizeable international fanbase. Last season alone, the club sold nearly 100,000 replica kits, with around half purchased by overseas supporters.
This global appeal is further cemented by sponsorship deals with major brands like United Airlines, HP, and Meta, and a distribution deal placing the club's shirts in two major US retail chains.
Despite the immense benefits, the constant documentary presence has its drawbacks. It was recently revealed that former Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen rejected a summer transfer approach from Wrexham, partly due to reservations about appearing in the show.
