Entertainment
Bay City Rollers manager compared to Jimmy Savile as shocking new documentary details abuse from their manager-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro
Viewers were left shocked by the details.
A new documentary explored the abuse suffered by Bay City Rollers at the hands of their manager (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)
Fans of the Bay City Rollers endured a difficult watch on Thursday night, as a new documentary explored the systematic sexual exploitation of the band by their manager.
Fronted by Nicky Campbell, Secrets Of The Bay City Rollers aired on ITV and delved into claims made against the pop band’s manager Tam Paton.
Paton abused the band members – who rose to fame in the 1970s – and also allegedly took boys from care homes to his own home, forcing them to have sex.
Viewers described the new doc as a ‘horrific’ watch, as an alleged victim opened up about his distress for the first time on camera.
Remaining anonymous, the individual said he was 13 when he was first taken to Paton’s house, where he was plied with drink and drugs at a star-studded party.
He told Campbell that he believes he was ‘spiked’ and, before he knew it, he was being ‘abused’ by three men.
Tam Paton was found guilty of molesting teenage boys in 1982 (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)
‘Tam was there. My trousers were down and I was face down over a bed, and I just screamed out, “I’m only 13. Leave me alone.” They carried on.’
The man continued in the documentary: ‘A few days later, I was told I had to go out to Tam’s, and he got me in a room and he said, “I tell you right now, I’ve got photos of you doing things, enjoying it and smiling, and laughing, and you go to anybody, and these photos will go to your social worker and your pals, and your family.”
‘It was frightening. And he told me, “You’ve got a lot of connections in the homes. I want you to bring boys here and you’ll get left alone”.’
The man admitted it was the ‘guiltiest’ he’s ever felt, having taken 20 boys to Paton’s house but never reporting it to the police because they would ‘never listen’.
Former Rollers guitarist Pat McGlynn, 65, also spoke about his interactions with Paton, while Campbell met with the widow and son of singer Les McKeown.
McKeown died in 2021 following years of addiction struggles due to the abuse he suffered.
Paton died in 2009 (Picture: Craig Westwood/REX/Shutterstock)
His wife Peko revealed that he used to scream in his sleep, while his son Jubei said his dad ‘never found peace’.
Paton was sentenced in 1982 to three years in prison after he was convicted of molesting teenage boys. He died at the age of 71 in 2009.
Broadcaster Campbell described Paton as ‘similar to Jimmy Savile’ in the way he ‘groomed and abused people.’
‘It’s that sense of entitlement, whether it’s Savile, Paton, whether it’s a teacher at a posh school. They can have what they want and there’s no repercussions,’ he said in the programme.
‘Paton spiralled into this dark criminal underworld of drug dealing. There’s some really murky stuff. The flats he rented out, the connections he had, and the people who died.
‘Yet at the same time, you’ve got these lads, 17, 18 years old, who wanted to be pop stars but to live the dream, there’s a deal with the devil.
Fans of the pop band were left horrified as their eyes were opened to what they went through (Picture: ANL/REX/Shutterstock)
Presenter Nicky Campbell opened up about the abuse he experienced in the seventies last year (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
‘But it’s a story that should be told, we should hang on to the magic, but we shouldn’t forget the evil that was lurking.’
‘In fact, it makes the magic even more special,’ he argued. ‘Because in spite of it all those guys shone. They’re looking at the stars, he’s in the gutter.’
In disbelief over what they were seeing, fans of the group took to Twitter to express their heartache.
‘This documentary is truly horrific – shameful,’ one person wrote.
‘Watching the Secrets of the Bay City Rollers. Wow. Growing up in the 70’s was an eye opener looking back and I was totally oblivious as a child’, another tweeted.
‘Horrific documentary. The #BayCityRollers were so loved if only they could have been protected. Such a difficult watch’, added another.
Now 65, Pat McGlynn gave his first on-camera interview about his abuse (Picture: Andre Csillag/REX/Shutterstock)
‘Brilliant documentary by @NickyAACampbell on #BayCityRollers . Made me cry and made me really angry. And the worst part is that this abuse is still happening and not being taken seriously enough. Well done Nicky and team compelling TV’, another praised.
Viewers heaped praise on Campbell, 62, as well, after he revealed last year that he was abused at school in Edinburgh in the seventies.
‘You are amazing @NickyAACampbell – your honesty and openness is inspirational. I remember speaking to you on the radio on BBC radio 5 live about my own mental health and i felt so comfortable. You are never alone Nicky. Thank you for sharing your experience’, one fan tweeted.
Another wrote: ‘@NickyAACampbell such an incredibly sad programme that’s moved me to tears at times. Incredibly brave of everyone, including you, to speak openly about such life changing experiences’.
Campbell was full of admiration for McGlynn especially, saying he was ‘quite inspired’ after speaking with him and hearing his story.
‘I think Pat had a story to tell and he wanted to tell it. And I think he told it as he probably never told it before. And I think he felt, “That this is it, this is the last time I’m going to tell it, but I’m going to tell it”, he said.
‘And so it was in a sense for Pat, who I found immensely likeable, wiping the slate clean.
‘Since I’ve been campaigning on this issue, I’ve been incredibly inspired by some of the guys that I’ve been talking to. There’s new guys every week.
‘I’ve spoken to dozens and dozens of guys, It’s nearly a year now. There’s about two guys a week. And if someone gets in touch with you and says, “I heard your podcast or I saw you on the telly, I heard you on the radio. I was a year below you at school. I was in your year at school”, or whatever. I can’t say no.
‘And so I’ve had lots of very tearful conversations with people. One guy got in touch with me on Twitter and rang me and it’s the first time he confronted it for 50 years.
Victim Support
Victim Support offers support to survivors of rape and sexual abuse. You can contact them on 0333 300 6389.
‘Because he was nine, 10 when… and then he got back to me and he was still sobbing, and then I started crying.’
Campbell described it as ‘a moment I’ll never forget.’
‘That just shows you how you can bottle it up, bottle it away, put it away, and actually, then it all comes out. And I think that was quite true with Pat.’
Secrets Of The Bay City Rollers is available to stream on ITVX.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Sarah Beeny’s property show filmed while she was having chemotherapy lands on Channel 4’s streamer
Entertainment – MetroRead More
