Race To The Top: KSI and Dagenham & Redbridge confirm YouTube documentary series that will rival Welcome to Wrexham of Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac

Award-winning creative production company After Party Studios and KSI have announced that ‘Race To The Top’ will air this summer, while being promoted across social channels that have a combined reach of 33.5 million followers. The show will continue into the 2026-27 season.

The cinematic series, which will be dubbed into 14 languages, is set to “follow Britain’s Got Talent judge KSI - real name Olajide Olatunji - as he navigates the pressures and possibilities of steering the National League South club into a new era”.

After Party Studios state that: “Cameras will track KSI as he takes the reins of the club, offering unprecedented access to the day-to-day trials and tribulations of running a non-league side in the modern football ecosystem, with boardroom meetings and fan reaction to contend with.”

Ben Doyle, aka RVBBERDUCK, director of 'Race To The Top' and founder of After Party Studios, has said: “When KSI called me on a rainy Sunday morning last November and said he was buying a football club, I knew I had to be there to capture it. When we shot KSI: Can’t Lose back in 2018, I rolled the cameras as he redefined an entire sport - this feels like a true full circle moment as yet again we stand on the precipice of a seemingly insurmountable challenge. This series will see us get more access than ever before, during the highs and lows as he strives to get the Daggers to the Premier League.”

KSI added: “This is a really big deal for me. For the fans who’ve been with me since Race to Division One, it’s a full-circle moment - from dreaming about football online to actually taking over a club. Reuniting with Ben and After Party Studios makes it even more special. He’s captured every high and low, and I am so excited for him to board this rollercoaster of a journey at Dagenham & Redbridge with me."

KSI has spoken of his excitement at branching out into football ownership, having seen several other celebrities do likewise - with Reynolds and Mac being joined in the EFL ranks by the likes of NFL legend Tom Brady at Birmingham and singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran at Ipswich, while rap star Stormzy is involved with AFC Croydon Athletic.

While a new adventure is being fully embraced, football finance expert Professor Rob Wilson, has told Fruity King of what will be required in order to take Dagenham from the National League South - the sixth tier of English football - to the Premier League.

Dr Wilson said: “In many ways, getting back to the EFL would be the easy part. Once you reach League Two and League One, competitive finances escalate dramatically to around £4 million ($5m) in League Two and £10 million (£13m) in League One.

“By the time you're pushing for promotion in the Championship, we're talking upwards of £40 million ($53m) just in wage bill. I'd imagine that over the next ten years, and that's what it will take, the investment probably sits around the £60 million-£70 million ($93m) mark if you want to get into the Championship.

“Then you have that final leap to the Premier League. That'd require routine and ongoing £50 million ($67m) expenditure on your wage bill, plus transfer spending of another £50 million and compliance with Premier League infrastructure standards which are not insignificant in the context of Dagenham and Redbridge.

“A 10-year project to the Championship now turns into a 20-year project to reach the Premier League with an investment figure of £250 million ($333m) over that 20-year period. That would include infrastructure as well.”

He added on following Reynolds and Mac’s blueprint: “Looking at Wrexham, Ryan and Rob didn't just invest money into Wrexham, they built that global entertainment brand around the club which has transformed the team into a global media property. I imagine KSI will be thinking about this and it gives him a genuine advantage in doing so.

“With his digital audience and commercial experience, particularly through ventures like Prime, you can generate significant off-pitch revenue. A successful documentary is probably worth £5 million ($7m) per season in media rights, add another £5 million a year in commercial sponsorships and partnerships. In total the creator economy of KSI will generate in the region of £10 million to £15 million ($20m) per year if executed well. 

“If KSI can replicate the Wrexham playbook, then the economics become more plausible. Overall, the Premier League dream is ambitious but with the right commercial strategy, the journey itself could be the most valuable thing that comes out of this entirely.”