A new docuseries Who’s The Daddy? Which is based on the life of Shirley Crabtree, known to millions in the UK as Big Daddy, is in production.
The news was broken by Deadline on June 11. BUFF Studios will be producing the new documentary feature in association with Rainbow Trout Films. The producers of the documentary will present the project to buyers at the 2026 DocFest in Sheffield, which is where BUFF Studios will also present its documentary slate for the upcoming year.
The synopsis of Who’s The Daddy states that the feature will detail how a man from working-class Halifax became one of the biggest sporting icons in British history:
The project will examine how an ordinary Halifax sportsman became one of Britain’s most recognizable television personalities, transforming professional wrestling into prime-time family entertainment and laying the foundations for modern celebrity culture in pre-digital Britain.
The feature is being developed by executive producer Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe (Absolutely Marvellous), producer and creative director James Mellor (Rugby Town) and writer and research producer Howard Priestley. In a statement to Deadline, Anyiam-Osigwe spoke about the Big Daddy phenomenon and how it was more than wrestling:
“Big Daddy was far more than a wrestling star. He was one of the most recognisable faces on British television at a time when audiences of all ages would gather around a single screen to watch shared national moments.”
“Through Who’s The Daddy?, we want to explore not only the man behind the phenomenon, but also what his story tells us about fame, identity and the evolution of British popular culture before the digital age. We are delighted to be introducing the project at Sheffield DocFest and look forward to developing it with partners who share our ambition for the film.”
“Who’s The Daddy?” Will Be The Latest Feature On Big Daddy
Although wrestling fans in the United States have a limited knowledge of Big Daddy, fans in the UK are all too familiar with the British icon. One of the most famous people in the country in the 80s, Big Daddy became a mainstream star out of the ring as well as one the biggest heroes to fans inside the squared circle.
Famously clashing with his greatest rival, Giant Haystacks, the two men met inside Wembley Arena in 1981 in a match that still remains one of the most important in British wrestling history.
