Former Wrexham captain Ben Tozer has publicly explained his decision to ban cameras from the club's globally popular documentary, Welcome to Wrexham, from entering his home, stating his sole focus was on achieving promotion for the team.
A Captain's Single-Minded Focus
Tozer, a key defensive signing for the Wrexham revolution, joined the then-non-league outfit in August 2021 for a £200,000 fee, dropping down two divisions from Cheltenham Town. His arrival came shortly after the club's landmark takeover by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Speaking candidly on That Wrexham Podcast, the former skipper revealed the extent of his determination. "I couldn't handle it personally," Tozer stated regarding the documentary. "I just didn't want to be any part of it if I'm being totally honest."
He elaborated that his personal mission was crystal clear from the moment he signed: to get the club back into League One. This objective became an all-consuming drive for the player. "My full focus was on getting to that and I was so driven by that. It almost became an obsession," he confessed.
Drawing a Firm Boundary
This obsession led Tozer to set a firm boundary with the documentary's producers. When questioned about his living arrangements for potential filming, his response was unequivocal. "The producer of the documentary would be like, 'Where abouts do you live?'. And I'd be like, 'Miles away, you're not coming to my house,'" he recalled.
Despite the documentary's role in transforming Wrexham into a worldwide phenomenon, Tozer consciously chose to distance himself from the spotlight, prioritising performance on the pitch over screen time. His commitment paid off, as he played a crucial part in the club's consecutive promotions from the National League in 2023 and from League Two in 2024.
Reflecting on his choice, Tozer admitted, "I look back now and it was the right decision at the time." He did, however, acknowledge a slight sentimental regret, adding, "maybe it would have been nice for the kids and people like that to see a little bit more but I'm very content."
Not the Only Player with Concerns
Tozer is not the only member of the Wrexham squad to have expressed reservations about the Disney+ documentary. Ryan Reynolds himself recently shared an anecdote about receiving a panicked 2am phone call from an unnamed player.
The actor revealed he was in the middle of overnight editing for Deadpool and Wolverine when the player called, "freaking out because there was something in the opening credits that would upend his life in some way." The player desperately pleaded for the segment to be removed.
Reynolds initially believed it was technically impossible to edit a series already streaming to millions globally. "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,'" he recounted. To his surprise, he discovered he was "dead f***ing wrong" and that such edits were indeed possible.
The documentary's impact is undeniable. A Financial Times report from August indicated that each episode attracts up to five million viewers, chronicling the club's remarkable journey and three consecutive promotions under its famous owners.
