Football is life

• Published date: 30 August 2022

WELCOME to Wrexham tells the story of how Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, internet friends and Hollywood stars with seemingly little knowledge of football — but a clear enthusiasm for sport in general — bought Welsh club Wrexham AFC early last year. Given their goal of getting Wrexham — the oldest club in Wales and the third-oldest continually operating professional team in the world — promoted from the fifth tier of English football, the series has the hallmarks of a fish-out-of-water documentary, a Ted Lasso in real life, but it turns out to be a more soulful series than that, once it gets over its bumpy landing

Based on the opener of the 18 zippy episodes , I had low hopes. It places much of its early focus on McElhenney and his English colleague Humphrey Ker, a comedian, screenwriter and actor turned “Rob and Ryan’s guy” at the club. There is only a smattering of Reynolds, who is more camera-shy than might be expected. McElhenney, who admits he needed ‘‘superhero-movie-star money’’ to buy the club, appears to be the driving force behind the deal.

The series is clearly aimed at an American audience, with much made of the strangeness of the situation. The pitch is referred to as the field; the league system is explained by way of a comparison with the minor league baseball team the Toledo Mud Hens. Anyone who has a whiff of an accent that isn’t home counties gets subtitles. I thought subtitling Welsh people speaking English in a documentary about a Welsh team was a bit inconsiderate, but at least it affords the honour to anyone English who grew up north of the Watford Gap, too.

Once it gets its Football for Dummies shtick — and its compulsion to explain what words such as “sacked” mean — out of the way, it improves enormously. McElhenney and Reynolds might be the names above the marquee, but it evolves into a touching and inspiring documentary about an ordinary town that is down on its luck and could do with a lift.

One of the questions asked of the two actors at the start is: “Why Wrexham?” Although there isn’t one satisfactory answer to that, McElhenney offers his working-class upbringing as a point of recognition and empathy. ‘‘Even though I’ve never been there, it reminds me of Philadelphia,’’ he says.

The documentary was planned before the takeover was completed, so there are cameras there at every step of the way. Reynolds and McElhenney are self-deprecating and funny. They obviously care...