Carla and Lisa are so much more than just ‘another Corrie couple’. Georgie explains why this story matters so much to so many.
The Soaps really are a powerful storytelling tool. Over the years we have seen them all tackle issues that most would probably shy away from. Sometimes they can get it wrong but for the most part, they get it right, and it packs quite the punch.
Soaps can open your eyes to things that may not have come across your radar, they can encourage you to see the wider world and they can give you comfort in times when you feel the most alone. It’s incredible really as these shows are on our screens twelve months of the year, at minimum three days a week. That is a large amount of storytelling. And they often don’t get the credit they deserve, yet they have some of the finest actors in the country. The likes of Lacey Turner, Ali King, Jack P Shepard, and Emma Atkins, to name but a few, have been powerhouses within their roles. They’ve delivered heartache, humour, angst and some of the most incredible stories on screen. I wouldn’t be exaggerating when I say that storylines genuinely change lives.
The representation of authentic love within the LGBTQA+ is so personal to me. Growing up it was few and far between, hitting my teens it got slightly better but even then it felt like there was no one I could really relate to. However, in the last few years we have had Charity and Vanessa (RIP Vanity), Suki and Eve and most recently Carla and Lisa. Women who have such incredible back stories, who have faced so much adversity and battled more demons than any writer could probably keep up with but here they are, with a lifetime behind them, getting another chance at a future they probably never would of imagined.
None of these relationships feels forced, they are genuine connections with both parties privy to the baggage. This matters to me because this gives me so much hope. Knowing that starting life again at mid 30s doesn’t mean I don’t have another chance, I am not limited by my age.
But I am here to talk about Swarla specifically, a couple who are dominating Coronation Street right now and for all the right reasons. We have Carla, a long standing character who has put in solid innings since she made her debut on the cobbles in 2006, then we have Lisa, a fairly new character who had never really established any roots and let’s face it, not yet an integral part of the Street. When we first learned they were making Lisa a permanent fixture, along with her daughter Betsy, and that she was going to fall for a local resident, X became a buzz with theories one of them being Carla, rumours they had vehemently denied up until the spoilers confirmed it. A new fandom was born and so now here we are, Swarla.
There are so many reasons why Swarla are so special to so many. When we first heard Swain was going to be paired with Carla, a character who has previously only been with men on the Street, you did sort of wonder how they had chosen her, until we witnessed their insane on-screen chemistry with our own eyes. There was no denying they were on the right track with this pairing.
But it isn’t just that, whilst chemistry if a big part of it of course, it’s actually a multitude of things about them that make them so appealing. Not only do they display a kind of communication that has allowed them to grow and learn about each other, but the way they support each other, the way they weren’t born from an affair, and the way that them being together isn’t actually the source of their trauma. They just naturally display a relationship some of us can only dream of, but it gives us hope.
Obviously I can’t not give Betsy a mention, who actually I class as being part of Swarla too because she adds that extra later to the dynamic. Sydney Martin has been a fantastic addition to the Street.
Carla and Lisa are so much more than just ‘another Corrie couple’ and it would appear that Ali King and Vicky Myers understand that too. They seem to truly understand the power they have right now and why this story matters so much to so many.