Coronation Street star Vicky Myers has spoken about the drama ahead for DS Lisa Swain and her
daughter Betsy.
Sydney Martin has been cast in the role of Betsy, who was initially introduced to the show as an
unnamed friend of Sabrina Adetiba.
Sabrina’s friend was seen blackmailing Joel Deering after realising that the villainous lawyer is hiding some sleazy secrets.
Friday’s episode (June 28) revealed that this no-nonsense newcomer is Swain’s daughter, who’ll be an ongoing character for the show.
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Speaking about this chance to explore Swain’s backstory and family life, Vicky told Digital Spy and other press: “It’s massively important. It’s all about portraying truth and authenticity to characters that we play.
“The tragic death of Swain’s partner Becky has had an impact on her relationship with Betsy. One of the questions that I ask myself is what the relationship was like before, when it was the three of them – and how it’s changed and the impact that that would have had on Betsy.
“With Lisa, she did what she felt was the right thing to do and went back into work. Subconsciously she felt that was the right thing to do, but inadvertently it’s pushed Betsy away – when she thought she was doing the right thing in protecting her.
“So there’s so much to unpack between the two of them. It’s full of fear, because they’re both petrified of losing each other. It’s all centred around love, because they love each other so much.”
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She continued: “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree either, so Lisa can see a lot of herself in Betsy. She’s a chip off the old block. She’s feisty, intelligent, she’s sarcastic, she’s witty, she’s humorous, she’s got all of this going on.
“But Betsy is vulnerable, and she’s not as worldly-wise as she thinks, whereas Lisa’s obviously got that experience, especially in the profession that she’s in. But also for Betsy, she’s also watching her mum go to work in the profession that she’d lost her other mother in, so that’s absolutely petrifying.
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“To put it mildly, the relationship is strained and it’s fractured because they’re both vulnerable. It is full of fear – Lisa is fiercely protective of Betsy and the family dynamic, now that it’s down to the two of them. So she’s doing everything that she can to protect that.
“But in the same vein, she can’t be too much of a disciplinarian, because Betsy is 16. So it’s that understanding of how much rope she can give her.”
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Betsy will continue to take some major risks in upcoming episodes as she carries on with her dangerous attempts to blackmail Joel.
Later next month, Betsy also tries to make demands of Carla Connor after spotting the Underworld boss in an altercation with a yob who has been hassling Roy Cropper.
Carla opens her car door and knocks the lad off his bike, sending him flying. Betsy, who’s already doing short-term work experience at Underworld, wastes no time before warning Carla that she wants a summer job at the factory in return for her silence.
Vicky continued: “I think Lisa would be really disappointed if she knew what Betsy is doing. She would be so bitterly disappointed in the behaviour.
“It’s the fact that it’s contrived, there’s a thought that went into it, there’s a longevity, there’s a plan, and it’s devious. And who wants to know that their child is capable of that?”
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 an
