Bay City Rollers star Stuart 'Woody' Wood has revealed the chaos the band faced from screaming fans during the height of Rollermania in Edinburgh. The Scots music legend has been looking back on the band's incredible popularity as their hit stage show Rollers Forever prepares to return to Scotland next month.
Memories of early gigs in Edinburgh
The jukebox musical is set to play at Edinburgh's King's Theatre from October 27 to 31, as part of an expanded Scottish tour which also includes dates in Glasgow and Aberdeen. The show has brought back memories for Woody of his own time touring Scotland with the legendary group.
He recalled how intense things could get when the band performed in their home city, with fans even throwing objects towards the stage in the hope of getting something that had come into contact with one of the members of the band.
The Edinburgh native said: "The Bay City Rollers were very popular in and around Edinburgh back in the late 60's, early 70's playing places like the Top Storey Club though I was still at school then. My first gig with the BCR's in Edinburgh was in the Edinburgh Odeon picture house."
Chipped teeth and bruises from thrown objects
"It was full of screaming teenagers throwing stuff like flash cubes (little bulbs from portable cameras) in the hope they would hit us and they could declare something they touched, had touched one of us," he added.
The 69-year-old said: "I won't get into the amount of chipped teeth and bumps and bruises we all had from that."
The Bay City Rollers became one of Scotland's biggest musical talents during the 1970s, with their distinctive tartan look and devoted following sparking a phenomenon known as Rollermania. Fans would go to extraordinary lengths to get close to the band, with personal items and objects regularly making their way onto the stage.
Rollers Forever returns to Scotland
Now Woody is set to revisit that phenomenon as Rollers Forever returns for its second Scottish run. The show celebrates the fans and the music behind the Bay City Rollers phenomenon and will conclude its 2026 Scottish tour at Edinburgh's King's Theatre.
Woody said he was delighted to see the production returning to Scotland and reaching even more fans. "For more than 50 years, we've toured the world and have always loved every minute of it. But there was always something special about playing to home crowds and the Scottish fans were always so great to us," he revealed.
"They always went to great lengths to support us and made the shows really amazing events. Over the years, they have become a great community and that's what Rollers Forever is all about - celebrating the fans that made Rollermania what it has always been."
Woody added: "This show is for them, and I'm delighted to see that even more fans will get to see it across Scotland this year."
Rollers Forever will first visit the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow from October 14 to 17, before heading to His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen from October 21 to 24. The show will then conclude its Scottish run at the King's Theatre in Edinburgh from October 27 to 31.
