Ultras - Season 1

All across Scottish football, at every level, youth-led ultras groups are transforming match days. Inspired by European terrace culture, and amplified through TikTok and YouTube, young fans are organising with precision, designing vast banner displays, coordinating marches and igniting pyrotechnics that turn stadiums into theatre.

This episode explores how and why it has taken hold, and we meet ten-year-old Jayden, who is discovering the ultras online, and the mum backing his growing obsession. We also follow vlogger Blair, whose access and content have accelerated the movement's reach, and the young supporters forming groups from scratch, determined to seize the atmosphere at their clubs.

While some see the spark of something special, psychologists and police see something faster and harder to predict. As banners are painted and drums lifted, match day swells with a scale and intensity that few expected. At its best, this is belonging and collective joy, but as the spectacle grows, so does its influence. Who is shaping this movement, and what responsibility comes with rising power?

Every movement reaches a moment of consequence, and as ultras culture expands, so do the costs. This episode confronts what happens when spectacle spills into disorder.

CCTV footage captures young fans running amok at a small local club, leaving a community charity facing serious financial risk, and exposing how quickly atmosphere can tip into damage. The lens widens to Rangers and Celtic, where ultras culture carries national weight. We follow a police match commander navigating a fan base that is younger, faster and digitally mobilised. Social media does not just document events, it drives them.

Vlogger Blair's access begins to fracture as clubs close ranks, and the boundary between culture and provocation tightens. Through football authorities, journalists, psychologists and officers on the ground, we examine pyro, intimidation and group behaviour under pressure. When passion turns combustible, responsibility becomes contested. Who answers when culture becomes chaos?

In this episode, we ask what ultras culture is actually for. We return to Jayden and his mum as they join an Edinburgh derby march, framing ultras not simply as something to fear, but as something families, clubs and communities are choosing to stand within.

Across Scotland, a divide is clear, with clubs such as Kilwinning fed up with ultras culture, citing safety concerns and financial survival. Beyond flares and fines, we uncover community work, mental health support and the structure ultras groups provide for young men searching for purpose. As parallel marches unfold, the stakes sharpen - this is no longer just about atmosphere, it is about belonging, influence and the future shape of the national game.

Can the ultras culture evolve into something sustainable and accountable? And what replaces it if it is shut out?