Beyond Swarla: Right, so welcome back. Welcome back to Elle. Hi, you've been quiet for a while. ⁓ Thanks to Elaine as well. ⁓ Very complicated over in Botswana for her, but wish you all the best. ⁓ we've got, we'll have some spoilers. Should we talk about some spoilers? Thanks so much to Alang speaking to me. We did have some technical issues with that interview because the between Botswana and the UK was messing about. So there a few bits that were missed off of that conversation that we ⁓ lost. But after that Alang emailed me and wanted to add a bit of context to the discussions, ⁓ mostly around the of Botswana. Laurie: Hi. Hi. Beyond Swarla: Hi folks, hi folks, welcome to the podcast. That's been a mudda. also witness our very own Groundhog Day in Weatherfield. Elle with me, hi Elle. How are we doing this week? Laurie: Hello? ⁓ Yeah, no, fine, absolutely fine. It's been a busy week, so my head's a bit in the shed again, typical me, but yeah, all good, all good. Beyond Swarla: You Laurie: Yeah, let's do spoilers. Beyond Swarla: So although we've had it this week, we definitely have DS Conor Swain back in black or blue, ⁓ but the music didn't work for back in blue. ⁓ And she is now kind of suspecting everybody. She cannot even go to the pub without being glared at. And it's no surprise, right? So I'm just going to read out the email to you guys, just to give you a fuller picture of what's happening. This is word for word from Elang, not from me. Remember how I said people here are very conservative. That's heavily influenced by a combination of culture and religion and both easily bleed into politics as well. The Setswana language itself is very gender neutral, but the culture leans either way, depending on the situation. Now, where it gets really grey, Right. Are you to talk about this murder then? I'm so sorry about my Glaswegian accent. Bye. Laurie: It's gotta be done, innit? It's gotta be done with that generation that had to sit and watch Taggots on TV. So, that's been another mother. Love it. Beyond Swarla: Yeah. Laurie: Absolutely, policing in your own community is a big no-no. Beyond Swarla: Yes, I see our accents are just about as good as they've always been. So, ⁓ right, shall we get started then? Let's start with ⁓ a celebration. So as many of the listeners will know, yesterday we celebrated five years of Lisa Swain or Detective Sergeant Lisa Caroline Connor Swain, as she is her full title. Laurie: Haha. Beyond Swarla: it's a very tight-knit community as well. ⁓ she gets glared at and then she starts to think, well, maybe it was Todd that did it. ⁓ is where people use parts of culture and religion interchangeably and one to justify the other, which they use to support their biases and prejudices. A good example is traditional Traditional is modest at all. It really would not make sense climatically ⁓ because for good eight months or so of the year, the temperature reaches 35 degrees. Because of the intersection between religious beliefs and culture, people tend to lean heavily towards modesty. ⁓ Well we'll see, we'll see what happens. Like I say, like we've said earlier, everyone's going to become a suspect at some point, they? Pretty much. I mean, maybe Rita, maybe, maybe Ken, you never know. Wouldn't it be great? Wouldn't it be great? Gary becomes a prime suspect. Obviously we saw at the end of today's episode, which is we're recording Friday, ⁓ 8th of May. Laurie: Yeah, I think so. I'd love that, that'd be amazing. ⁓ Woo. Beyond Swarla: Ah, do you remember when, were you watching Corrie when she started? Laurie: No, but I bloody should have been. Beyond Swarla: Have you caught up? Laurie: Yes, I've gone all the way back. as you know, I was like big Emmerdale fan and then I crossed over to Corrie when Swala started getting together. ⁓ yeah, yeah, five years. Wow, it was a... Beyond Swarla: and expecting others to adhere to it. Remember the two women I told you who were petitioning to get married and some people were protesting it. What I forgot to mention is that a couple of months before that, the big pop story that was trending was a man who had just taken a third wife. Culturally, it is allowed, legally, it is not. Culturally, he can take as many wives as he wants, but when it comes to a civil marriage, he can only marry one woman. Crazy stuff. So anyway, that's what she said. We saw at end that Todd and Gary were in cahoots ⁓ to scare off Theo. And that is why Gary hit the van with a sledgehammer and completely trashed it. And he has wiped that CCTV evidence. ⁓ But Kit saw that interaction between Gary and Todd. It's a, it, I mean, obviously she's not been a serious regular for that long, but, but her first appearance was May the 7th, 2021, right in middle of COVID. And she was investigating the Seb and Nina hate crime. Bless Vicki Myers. She's on X this morning, thanking everybody who thanked her yesterday, which is lovely to see. And we've had loads of edits and, you know, pictures and... Laurie: Right, yeah, yeah. Beyond Swarla: And so Kit is going to put two and two together and come up with 147 and Gary's going to become prime suspect. What do we think about the fact that on Sally and Tim's selfies, there was a guy in the background. just to give you a bit of context there. which I will give to you later on in this podcast. this kind of stuff and it's been lovely to see. So many congratulations to her ⁓ we hope to see Detective Sergeant Connors Wayne for many more years to come. Laurie: Was that supposed to be Gary in the background? Beyond Swarla: I think it was supposed to be Gary in the background. I don't think it could have been anyone else considering that the episode kind of centered around Gary. It would appear that they're trying to make us think that it was Gary. so ⁓ we ⁓ recap what's been happening with Swala in the last couple of weeks? Shall we? Okay, ⁓ a lot. ⁓ there you go, there you have it. All thanks for joining us guys. ⁓ saw them every day ⁓ week, apart from Friday, I think. But... Laurie: Because he... Beyond Swarla: ⁓ come on, Elle. Thoughts Tim and Sally and Desk Gate. Laurie: Let's do it. Mm. Oh my goodness me. Well, if anybody has ever consumed any other media other than Coronation Street, i.e. fan-made stuff, fan-written stories, they will know those are not the two people who would be shaking on that desk. And my initial thoughts were, this is quite funny, but oh, it's a bit, also it's a little bit gross. I feel a little bit of sick coming up in the back of my throat. that person did look a bit ginge, do you know what mean? yeah. Beyond Swarla: ⁓ very ginge. Ginge with a beard, quite short. I'm going Gary. Laurie: Bye! Beyond Swarla: are you doing these days to kind ⁓ of move your way what has happened to you? Because clearly what happened to you isn't happening now, I'm assuming. ⁓ But I think you've still got a bit of a journey to go, you? Laurie: It's Gary. Yeah, I mean, again, I think, or Ed Sheeran. Prime suspect in this Theo murder, Ed Sheeran. We're not sure why, but yeah. Yeah, I think that could be another red herring. I think Gary might be a bit obvious. I mean, he might have helped somebody else. Beyond Swarla: or Ed Sheeran. You We saw them in some kind of hideous, interminable, Groundhog Day-esque kind of way, where they started each and every episode, and then we had the stories of all of the murder victims that followed. So what did we think of all of those lovely, same scenes? Elang: Okay. Beyond Swarla: You ⁓ my god. Laurie: But yeah, I mean, why as well? Like, it's interesting because Sally is so like in awe and so respectful of Queen Carla most of the time. I think to do something like that is really like naughty, isn't it? It's really a little bit disrespectful, but maybe that's it. That's the whole kink. It's so naughty. It's so against the rules. But also like this, like this. Elang: a lot. Beyond Swarla: so so what are you doing ⁓ to ⁓ know to help yourself to move yourself through this and you know not just yourself but obviously other people who are helping you as well Yeah. Laurie: potentially tag team. But yeah, I just think he's too obvious. What you? Well, there was a glaringly obvious mistake straight away that I noticed, and everybody else probably notices as well, that Carla says, she says, shift it or shift out the way in the wedding episodes. And then when we go back to Groundhog Day, she doesn't say that. And I was thinking, well, that could have worked if it was somebody else's POV and we were experiencing what they were remembering, but we're not. It looks like we're looking at sort of CCTV or something. It's a high angle down at them going into the factory. So. Elang: of to get my mind off of things. Mostly I run like I run a lot. I actually have a run coming up this weekend that I'm just in between about like why did I sign myself up for this? ⁓ We could either do five kilometers or like ten. Very very it'll depend on the person I'm running with but Beyond Swarla: I think it is too obvious. We've said this before. We're going to repeat ourselves. Sheep. I'm just going to say sheep dip and then you know what I mean. Sheep dip policing. That's what I'm going to say. Oh, and then we have this Jodie and Daniel thing. So Jodie thinks that Daniel's gone away. So she breaks in or nicks his key or does something. Yeah, shift. I don't know what to say, have no words. Right, okay. Laurie: not even private, it? Is it a glass door that leads straight onto the reception area where they were all sort of... Yep. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: I mean, that office is literally a goldfish bowl, isn't it? There's no privacy in there at all. There were a lot of people saying, oh, you know, it should have been there, it should have been swallowed. I'm like, no, no, no, no, it shouldn't have been swallowed. It shouldn't have been anyone. It shouldn't have been anyone because there's no way, there's no way swallow would have done it anyway because they don't have private intimate moments in the middle of the office. It's certainly not like that. And anyway, it's just so, it was done for comedic value and- distance is it? Laurie: Yeah. a bit of a booboo really because that's quite an obvious one. Beyond Swarla: Well, it's clearly two takes and clearly ⁓ Ali at one point said, right shift. And the next time she said, right, come on or something like that. And also, she says something different as well. So ⁓ she's in her bag, she says the first time at the wedding, on the wedding day, the first time she says of all the days for this to happen. And then every other time after that, she says of all the times for this to happen. Laurie: I agree, yeah. Beyond Swarla: and goes into the flat and finds that he hasn't got away and in fact he's having a love affair with a bottle of whiskey. Elang: I usually do average like 12 kilometers a week. if I'm not too lazy. So another thing. And working out and just a bit of creative stuff here and there like drawing. I bought paint a few months ago. I'm still yet to get back into that. So that. And I got a new guitar. Well, it's not new. A friend of mine gifted me a guitar A couple years ago. Laurie: proper bonkers into Jodie who would even think to do that like just go yeah go somewhere else go somewhere else that's not on I mean if she's well she's in sort of hang on Beyond Swarla: and that's what it was there for so had to be Sally and Tim really because they were the only two people there who would make it comedic but in addition that it was quite gross yeah Scutters! Because why does she need somewhere to stay? Because as it stands right now, so what happens is it stands right now, Shona and David are like, ⁓ well, we're gonna help you lie to the police and we're gonna cover up the story about you being kidnapped. So why isn't she welcome back there? Laurie: Yeah, I was just thinking that. ⁓ yeah. Beyond Swarla: So clearly it was a different take. ⁓ I'm not that bothered. Laurie: Nope. Devil's in the detail. Devil's in the detail. See, this is what I mean. Like sometimes I watch Corrie and I pick up on stuff that I should just not be picking up on. If were the casual viewer, they wouldn't have noticed it, but I'm like, ⁓ well, that's a mistake. Beyond Swarla: Hahaha Elang: So I practice every now and again. Outside of that I do talk to my friends a lot and I read a lot. I read like maybe five books a week or six. It just depends. Yes. Beyond Swarla: Yeah. Laurie: ⁓ yes, it was, it was, was pretty well, yeah, for anybody to be shagging on someone's work desk in the middle of a wedding when people are just like four foot away, it's a bit gross, isn't it? Yeah, that doesn't really make a lot of sense if they're, if, yeah. Beyond Swarla: Does something else happen and she gets thrown out? Or does she say, no, no, no, I'll leave, I'll leave because she wants them to feel sorry for her. So she goes, but she doesn't go very far potentially. I've heard on the, don't know where I heard it. Somebody's speculating that ⁓ Daniel is going to an insult. Well, so what did you think about the fact that the music changed every episode then? Wow, okay, so that's where the lion's share of your time is going, isn't it? On the books. So is it fiction or factual stuff or what do you read? Laurie: Yeah, I think like you said, the music that was played was tailored to the story that they were telling on that day. But then it's out of order as well, isn't it? Because we've got songs playing that weren't playing at that point we know because of where we are in the wedding. Was there one that wasn't even in there? I'm trying to remember now. Beyond Swarla: ⁓ Wasn't even empty, was stuff on it. I mean there was stuff... Laurie: You imagine like sticky feet in the morning, Carla's gonna be like what the... potentially. Elang: Mostly suffix fiction. Yeah. Beyond: Hi, hi everybody. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you are listening, whatever time you are listening. Beyond Swarla: Okay, okay. Do you have any recommendations? Because I know that lots of people want those recommendations. Okay, well maybe you can email that to me and I'll let everybody know. I know that a lot of people would love to read more sapphic fiction. ⁓ please, let's not, let's not, let's absolutely not go there, okay. Elang: I have a lot actually. I don't know if can record- Laurie: ⁓ my god, well, maybe Sally's got a of a thunderbird kink because Tim did have his chauffeur hat on Yeah Beyond: I want to introduce you to a young lady called Elang. She is from Botswana and she studied biochemistry as a degree. She's 26 years old and going to talk to us today about some difficult subjects, but ⁓ hopefully she will fill us all with hope and positivity by the end. Elang, welcome the podcast. How are you doing? Elang: More! Laurie: Really? Beyond Swarla: ⁓ yeah, he's showing my hat on. no! ⁓ God! And now I've got, you know what thing I've got in my head now? It's the Halloween scene with, when puts her copper hat on to Carla and then Carla kisses her with a lollipop kiss. ⁓ yeah, now I've got the two correlated in my head. You absolute bitch! ⁓ God, right, okay. Yeah, and now I have no idea where that's come from. It's just speculation at the moment, but if it did happen, I wouldn't be at all surprised. Laurie: Erm... I don't know, what do you think? It wasn't in order, was it? Elang: Yeah, I have about 700 books in my library right now, so yeah. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: When you say in order, what do mean? Laurie: That would make a lot of sense the way that he's dealing with his choices and everything that's happened. Beyond Swarla: Wow okay okay great I'm looking forward to that. I can be a big reader myself it depends on them I go through of it. ⁓ kind of how you are. Would you say that you're distracting yourself rather than anything Or are Laurie: You know, when they were playing like the songs that we heard at the wedding, they then came at a slightly different time when we did Groundhog Day, when those different stories. Hmm. Beyond Swarla: Yeah, because the people that have hurt him the most, the people that have, you know, have been women, so they've been Megan, there's obviously his boss, and there's obviously hope. And it's not beyond the realms of possibility. That would be an awful, awful storyline. ⁓ my God. ⁓ Laurie: It's painted, it's painted. Beyond Swarla: think the timeline was slightly screwed, to be honest, and I don't blame them because it must have been, it's very hard to kind of do that, I would imagine. Elang: Thank you, thank you for having me. good. ⁓ really ⁓ the current weather. Yeah. Beyond: You're welcome. Good. You've been telling us that you've been... Yeah, you're enjoying. Laurie: ⁓ Elang: Mm-hmm. Laurie: Mm. Elang: It's not hot, it's not cold, it's just rainy and that's beautiful. So yeah. Laurie: It would be and you know, can if they did do that, is there any coming back from that? Could you have a redemption? I don't know. Beyond: yeah you're telling me it's 35 degrees there at the moment yeah Beyond Swarla: consciously processing what has happened. Laurie: So what I'd say about that is that it's interesting how Carla's got the secret saw of what is a single malt wherever it whiskey in her drawer, and I was just thinking this is a little bit, it's a little bit film noir, do know what I mean? Like you expect to be some gruntled old detective in the 1930s being like, you know. Elang: I give myself time to process, but for the most part I talked about a lot of stuff with my therapist. I talk about it when it comes up, but think it's good to note that I don't have a therapist anymore right now. But when I did have one, we went through months intense therapy, like every Thursday a good hour. That was a lot. No, no, no. It was 35 degrees. Yeah. On a rainy day it's like 20 and that's good. Yeah. Beyond: It was, it was, okay. Beyond Swarla: ⁓ that's, that's, yeah. As I say, it's just one person speculation as well, I can remember. I don't think it's taken hold yet. But it would be interesting. It would be a really interesting and absolutely fucking terrible storyline if that's what they did. Anyway, poor Daniel. ⁓ Even though he's a bit of an arse. Yeah, it's not, it wouldn't be a nice thing. But yeah, Jodie blackmails him. It basically says, you know, well. So, the songs was given, was ⁓ the hint that was given to me by someone else, ⁓ another on TikTok, which ⁓ is called Let's Talk Cory. I'll just about this briefly because ⁓ Todd, the music was finally, it's kind of very much like, ⁓ this is I'll be... Beyond: Nice, yeah? Good. think we forget that summer in some places at the moment, or coming out summer, I'm guessing. Southern hemisphere, right? Yeah, okay. Laurie: Hmm. There was this Dal who worked down the precinct. ⁓ my god, I'm not doing accents, stop me. But do you know what I mean? That's the sort of image that I had in my head. And how did David know where it was? Elang: Yeah. Beyond Swarla: Yeah. Elang: Yeah, so we're going into autumn. Beyond: Nice. Obviously, is a very different place to hear and you have had a kind of a so far of experiences that haven't been that great in terms of your childhood and your upbringing and your teenage years. Would that be accurate? ⁓ Beyond Swarla: ⁓ I don't know. mean, my mum had a bottle of single malt whiskey in her desk all the time that she worked all the time. Yeah. Elang: We got a lot done in those months. Beyond Swarla: Although I'm not sure Todd's feeling quite like that at the moment. yeah, finally this is over for me. For Carl it was time after time. In other words, how many times are you gonna do this Carl? know, it's like every single time you do this, you're an absolute twat. For Jodie it was happy together, which of course had been playing anyway. so they obviously used it again and... I'll go out tell everybody that you're here if you don't let me stay. So of course he lets us stay. She's a terrible person. Anyway, so apparently we got Tyrone's dad is coming back. ⁓ There's this whole Cassie exit storyline that's going on and I'm assuming it's all around that. ⁓ We've got love for Leanne. I don't know if that's this week. I mean, it's on this week's. Yeah, what do you think you learned from that process? Laurie: Let's see. I've never heard of it in real life. I've never come across it. Beyond Swarla: Yeah, yeah. ⁓ yeah. no, no, I used to work well, I used to work in the city and my mom used to work in the city and she was an HR director for a Japanese bank and she would have single malt whiskey in her drawer she would whip it out as it were whenever was some kind of conversation that had to happen that was, know, if someone came to her with problems or anything like that, she would offer them a drink. You know, this was this was kind of, gosh, probably ⁓ Elang: Mostly that I needed to ask for help I do need it and that I do need to acknowledge when I need help because for the most part I wasn't and actually got me almost got me committed so Laurie: Yeah. Hmm Elang: ⁓ That is very accurate. Beyond: Okay, so you and I have had a chat about this before and you've opened up to me which has been amazing I'd love for you to kind of tell your story as see fit. So when were very very young ⁓ I'm ⁓ gonna this up to you to tell ⁓ us about happened to you. Laurie: ⁓ yep. Beyond Swarla: ⁓ okay. Do you feel comfortable talking about that at all? If you don't, that's fine. Laurie: Okay. Beyond Swarla: that's fine because obviously it had been a wedding song so that was all right and it's for Jodie and it's it's kind of like I mean I still don't really know what Jodie's story is but we'll come on to that but with Happy Together obviously she wants to be in this family or does she want her and Shona to be happy together or does she want to be happy together with someone else I've not a clue but it kind of fits and then Ladies Night for Megan because the three the three sisters front cover of Inside Soap, so that may be the case, but it's also as part of a huge Corrie preview that Kate Brooks has done, which we'll talk about in a minute. ⁓ we've also got Will, definitely Will next week going to the police ⁓ telling them that he's been abused. And we've got Tim's involvement in Elang: I think it was going to come up at some point. Beyond Swarla: early 2000s. So I think ⁓ times may have changed but I don't think it's unheard of at all. I love the fact that she has whiskey in her drawer, that Carla has whiskey in her drawer. Elang: hmm. ⁓ Laurie: Okay. Elang: therapist talked to my psychiatrist who then ⁓ had me sign a form about talking about whether I was going go willingly or whether they had to drag me there kicking and screaming. I did not end up going, fun part for me, but I did end up on Diazepam because I was having panic attacks at the time so... Beyond: So I know I will break the ice by saying that you were physically abused you were very young ⁓ about the age of seven. But so tell us a little bit. You don't have to go into graphic detail, just a little bit about who, ⁓ why think, know, what was the circumstances of how that and what age did you realize that this was not normal? Laurie: ⁓ I love it. I love that bit that they've added in. Yeah, but it's yeah, I thought it was just a bit in. Good. Mmm. Beyond Swarla: She's always had it in her drawer though, always. She has always had it. So for example, when Sally or when Hayley came to her and told her about their cancer diagnosis, she would offer them a drink because it's a hard conversation to have. I think it's great. I think it's absolutely appalling that David went into her drawers and stole it. And then... So do you know anything about that? like something out of Witches of Eastwick. ⁓ Yeah, know, ladies night. So I think the music was important and I think it had its place, but it was interesting that they changed it for each story. Laurie: Thank obviously Tim's backstory is that he was abused when he was a child so obviously he has a bit of a heart to heart and he seems, well I'm assuming he's the one who gets through to Will eventually now, is Will gonna be like truthful about everything or is he gonna try and hover it up and say no it didn't happen it was just my fantasies it wasn't written, I don't know. Elang: But I'm not having those anymore, which is good. It's good. Beyond Swarla: That's good. That's great. And how long ago was that? ⁓ How long have you been off that now? Elang: Okay, should probably preface this with I probably put myself in a state about this so I have a bit of anxiety about it. I think it was two years ago? Yeah. Beyond Swarla: Yeah, I mean, we, as I say, we get to see Carla and Lisa going into that factory five times. Laurie: Yeah. Beyond Swarla: Not only did he drink it when she said, know, be my guest, but he also took it out of the premises and was drinking it from the bottle in his own house. I mean, come on, that's just so disrespectful. That's just David all over in it. Give him a drink and he's just appalling. Okay, okay. So you found other things that are your coping mechanisms. But Megan's already like, she's already, they're already not charging her. She's already got off scot free. So Will's not gonna, he's not gonna lie to the police to save her because she's already free. So the only reason that he can go to the police is to say, actually all of that was bollocks. I am now gonna say that I was abused. And I think it's Tim that talks him round. And I think that Tim also goes to see Trisha. Laurie: Yep, that is about the bulk of Swallow that we got, isn't it? And do you know what, we said this on the last part, I thought we would get maybe a few scenes that we didn't see. I know we've had the wedding and like I've said before, we shouldn't be necessarily greedy about Swallow scenes, but I just thought that would work a little bit because we're seeing the same day. So surely we'd see other bits that were going on maybe, but they sort of separated that quite, yeah. Beyond: Okay, okay, but if you feel yourself getting too worked up about it, we can stop. Elang: I think my biggest, the biggest thing that has helped me cope. So we have this phrase in Sana. Okay, so what happened was okay from the ages of like probably when I was born until I was five I was being raised by my great-grandmother. That was before I moved to a different city to live with my mother. and I sleep for you. Laurie: Yeah, that's a good point. There's so much free booze at the reception anyway, like why would you go looking like get yourself down the shop like go to the Rovers, know, go get yourself Beyond Swarla: yes please. Hmm. Elang: It's Dilotabaati. just means it roughly translates to things of bad luck. So it just means you just peep and mice. Just look and just move on. Keep pushing because you can't change the situation. And you can't really dwell on it either because it's going to stress you. And then what? Exactly. Beyond Swarla: It's David, what can you say? ⁓ he's an absolute freeloader isn't he? Laurie: Yeah, Yes. Beyond Swarla: Yeah, okay, we did see Carla midweek with David, which was a nice surprise. at her place of work and has it out with her as well. So that'll be an interesting week. So yeah, Kate Brooks has given us a Corrie preview. Elang: And then we came back to this to like live all together with my aunt and grandmother and just was one roof. Laurie: Yes. Right? Mmm, okay. Beyond Swarla: ⁓ also saw Sally and Tim, which was not a nice surprise, let me you. ⁓ Laurie: Yes. Beyond Swarla: So in today's episode, we saw a really interesting conversation between Todd and Danielle, who I insist on calling Natalie because I've got a mental block the actor's name is Natalie and I keep calling her Natalie and it's not, it's Danielle. Her name is Danielle, I must remember. But was an interesting conversation between Todd and Danielle and Danielle talking about her relationship with Theo. So have you got some thoughts on that? Laurie: ⁓ I need to talk about that. ⁓ Jesus. Beyond: Is that quite common? Beyond Swarla: But and the whiskey and David and Sally, that scene was lovely, hilarious, but was an absolute, ⁓ my gosh, I mean, we'll talk about that in the rest of but. very useful advice that there is there is nothing you can change about the past you can own the only thing you can do is learn from it and so what do you think you have learned from it Elang: It is actually, it's very common for like extended family members to all live together. It's kind of like a mix and match. It's not always like a nuclear family situation. Yeah. So in the time we moved here, I was seven, right? And then that's around the time my aunt had her babies. So. Exactly. Beyond: Yes. Beyond Swarla: Carla, clearly nothing was gonna kill her buzz, it? She was just, this is a party, I'm having the time of my life, I'm finally married to the woman I love, this is great. I would have loved to seen more of them at all in any of the episodes, but also on the Friday episode, with all of the fireworks going off for what seemed like a day and a half. Elang: Yeah. Beyond: Yeah, yeah. Elang: That is an interesting question. Laurie: Yeah, it's interesting because, you know, at that beginning stage, she was very sort of like looking to blame someone seemed quite hurt that this had obviously happened to Theo, her ex-husband. And I was like, oh, I'm not quite sure where this is going and asking Todd outright, did you kill him sort of thing? sort of as Todd opened up and explained a little bit of what was going on with him, there was that acknowledgement from her that yes, something similar happened in our relationship. He wasn't a great man. So I could see that. Elang: I honestly don't know how to answer that. I think the biggest thing I've taken away from it is change. Change is the most consistent thing in your life you have to get comfortable with it. And can't really hold on to things. Things are experiences, people are experiences, places are experiences. You just ⁓ experience, what take from it ⁓ and then it go. Because if you hold on, Laurie: Yeah. Yeah. Elang: We're basically moving back so that my mother could like help out with everything. Yeah. So in the household, it was myself, my mother and my aunt, her babies. And she had, she'd recently had twins, but she has an older daughter who's my age, who's two days, literally two days older than me. Yeah. Beyond: Yep. Laurie: I thought how much have they spent on these fireworks? They went on for ages! Beyond Swarla: So someone told me once it was a £10,000 a minute or something. I don't know. It's something ridiculous, but I don't know. But where was the balcony kiss? So Beyond: Yep, how many did she have? Beyond Swarla: Right, so obviously ⁓ we've got the fact that Theo's killer is going to be revealed. This is kind of storylines coming up all through the summer. ⁓ And Lisa and Keira on the hunt for Theo's killer, blah, blah, blah. So that's all gonna happen. So we've also got turmoil for Sam and Daniel. They're set for two mental health stories. we've got, so you said a few podcasts ago that this could be the start of a Sam psychosis story and you were bang on the money. Laurie: coming because a character like Theo doesn't just develop into a domestic abuser with one particular partner. I think it's there pretty much. And, ⁓ know, a lot of people said, ⁓ it's because, you know, he's with a man and it's that's the reason why he's attacking. He's lashing out because, you know, the shame of being gay into internalized homophobia. Absolutely. But to me, it was clear. Yes. All right. Elang: And that is going to be the hot pot. Beyond Swarla: Yeah, yeah. Okay. Good. so talked previously about story and just want to, because that was a while ago, I just want to how you feel about Lisa and how she is doing days. You know, yeah, right now. ⁓ Laurie: ⁓ don't, Terri-Ann, don't. Don't, I'm get cross all over again. Beyond: Right. Beyond Swarla: Hahahaha Elang: and my grandmother. that was the situation, that was the living situation. It wasn't cramped because it's still a big house, regardless of everyone in it. So at the time, I don't think I noticed, like it didn't click in my head, hurry. Okay, what is going on here? It was just a fairly normal situation. Plus to add salt to the wound, I was getting bullied in school. Beyond Swarla: No, because we have to talk about it. Sorry, this is a podcast about swalla and other things, but it's a podcast about swalla. You're to have to talk about it. Tell me how you feel. Now tell me how you feel about the Baphony Kiss. Come on. Laurie: Hahaha Beyond Swarla: internalised homophobia. ⁓ Laurie: Oh, I am tamping, fuming so cross because it was so obvious to me that it should have been there and it wasn't because we even had, what point was it? I think Jodie's skulking around and David and Shona are getting into a taxi. There's a pan up, isn't there? We see the balcony. I was like, oh, here it is, here it is. No, no. Basically, the chore writers have said, smile, fans, look, you've had your lot, all right? Be grateful. It ain't happening. It wasn't that and I was just like, no, this be his ex-wife didn't get away Scott free out of this. There would have been some sort of psychological manipulation, coup, there would have been, if not violence against a female partner, there would have been something. Beyond Swarla: you Elang: right now. Laurie: Bang on the money! Elang: I do not think she has processed anything. Like nothing at all. given she probably will talk about it but it's gonna ⁓ a while. I mean she can barely say her name. yeah. I mean I fully understand because it took me a while to actually acknowledge. ⁓ Beyond Swarla: We're very rarely bang on the money, I have to say. I was trying to figure out how many of our wedding predictions came true and not many. I think the only thing we got right was maybe the hen doodoo that Lisa didn't have. I think that was the only thing we predicted right. The rest of it was all balls. So we have a mental health storyline coming up for Sam. Yep, okay. Yep. I'm going to be a bit controversial here. Theo grew up in a church, didn't he? So he grew up with a lot of heavy religion. I don't have any sympathy for Theo's character at all, but I wonder if growing up, having been indoctrinated that the man was the head of the household in every way and the wife was in some ways, most ways subservient to him. Elang: So it was the whole situation there. I was avoiding school because I was getting bullied. I didn't want my mother to know I was being bullied in school. So I was seven. I was like, OK. I looked at it like, yeah, I looked at it I was like, maybe this is normal because it was a public school. And then when my mother did find out I was being bullied and avoiding going to school. Laurie: Not many! Beyond Swarla: Yeah. You Laurie: Yeah. I just, yeah, I... Ugh. Yeah, what do you think? Beyond: Very young, isn't it? Beyond Swarla: I'm similar, similar to you. ⁓ It was just, it would just have been the icing on the cake. And I know, I know we're greedy. We are greedy. Of course we are. We want to see them all the time. But given that we are now completely swallowed us and probably will be for at least another week, maybe two weeks, I think potentially. It wasn't, was it too much to ask? Was it too much to ask? It clearly was too much to ask. Elang: what happened and that I needed to seek some kind of professional help for it. So it absolutely makes sense. Beyond Swarla: for Daniel. ⁓ You know, he's, they're both struggling. also got Jodie's plot to steal Shona's life. Well, I mean, that's ⁓ seen coming, right? She ramps up her scheming, ⁓ love triangle with a huge difference. Twisted Jodie doesn't just want her sister Shona's man, she wants her entire life. ⁓ this is going to be interminable, isn't it? ⁓ Elang: One of my cousins went to the same school and she kind of asked him to look out for me in the school. Like, okay, tell me what's happening. Make sure she's in school. Like, make sure no one's actually putting hands on her in school. Beyond Swarla: Yeah. do you think we will ever see Lisa talk about it? whether that controlled his ⁓ and his narrative with ⁓ Laurie: Yeah, it certainly could have had a factor to play in it. Elang: with the 20 minute episodes? I don't know. I don't know. I'm not holding my breath, but ⁓ I don't know. Beyond Swarla: If he was prone to that kind of relationship, then ⁓ wouldn't have helped, would it? I'm thinking. Beyond: Yeah and how old how much older was your cousin? Okay ⁓ okay okay okay Laurie: a minute. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: Yeah, we've had a few episodes where she's briefly mentioned her name and it's briefly come up. I'm not sure we'll get more than that if I'm honest because everything seems to be wedding bound now. But I shall be cross about that for quite some years to come. Elang: He wasn't older, he was younger, surprisingly. He was a grade lower than me. He was just much rougher than me and not like, yeah. Laurie: This is the Becky Swain storyline. It is, it? It's literally... Yeah, yeah, I'd agree with that. Beyond Swarla: Well, it's it's it's similar it's similar because obviously Becky Swain already had that life and then she wanted it back Jodie's never had it. She just wants it. It's awful. Awful We don't like it ⁓ All eyes will be on David to see whether he remains faithful. ⁓ god, it's yeah, it's just a pitiful ⁓ Elang: Yeah. Laurie: I know a lot of people say, you know, it's not the Swala show. It's an ensemble cast. It's about all these different stories in Coronation Street. And I get that. But I think my argument is, like I've just said, I was an Emmerdale fan. never used to watch, well, I, you know, watch it with Mum and my nan when I was a kid because it was the only thing on TV. Do you know what I mean? But I wasn't a Coronation Street fan. I didn't watch it. What brought me to Coronation Street was Swala. And it's a large part of why I watch it now. So if I'm like a bit peeve that Beyond Swarla: gonna say it because I can't let this drop. I haven't let it drop yet and I'm not going to. Is the kind of conversation that we would have loved to have seen a certain other person, maybe a blonde copper, have with her wife? Beyond: Right, yeah. And a boy, obviously. Elang: Yeah, which is good. Laurie: Mm. Elang: Yeah, yes, exactly. So the whole situation kind of like got out of hand. Beyond Swarla: Yeah, you're looking forward to it? Yeah? Elang: The wedding? I am! I wanna see how they're gonna play that out! It's gonna be so... I'm so waiting for it. Laurie: ⁓ absolutely, yeah. Elang: Eventually I had to transfer school and repeat the same grade because my mother was like you didn't get any education in this grade. We're taking you to a different school which was a private school. So the situation kind of solved itself there. But at home... Beyond Swarla: It's such a shame because we see it everywhere now and it's the obvious parallels are just, we're just drowning in them and I'm just, so, I'm still not over it. I can't let it go. I'm still not over it. Okay, I'm stop. I'm gonna stop. Beyond: Right. Beyond Swarla: Are you okay over there? Laurie: You know, we didn't see what we all kind of think. I mean, even in, you know, heterosexual relationship, any of the other characters, if they'd gotten married, I think they would have been a bit, felt a bit cheated that we didn't get that big romantic, know, crescendo of music and fireworks and a big pash. So I think, my argument is I came for Swala, I stayed for Swala, so I want to see Swala. End of. Beyond: Okay. Right. Yeah. Laurie: ⁓ yeah, yeah, okay. Beyond Swarla: You're right darling. Good, good. Megan is jailed. So there we go. A battle for justice begins. ⁓ Then we have all change for Tim and Sally. Now there's this massive storyline coming up for Tim and Sally. It doesn't say what, it just says that their marriage is rocked by a surprise. So that'll be interesting. ⁓ Things will never be the same, apparently. Elang: My aunt a to deal with, I must say. Yes, very. Because I realized later that how my cousin was treating me was reminiscent of basically how my aunt was. Laurie: do you think? It's a conscious decision. I don't why. Is it a conscious decision by Corrie that they're burying the Becky Trauma for now and we might see it come back out in a much later storyline potentially? Beyond Swarla: Well, Alang, thank you so much. ⁓ You've talked to us about lots and lots of different things and it's been really useful to hear ⁓ useful not pleasant but necessary because I think that this happens more than we probably realise, especially in families where there extended families living under one roof. so thank you so much for being so open with us and... Beyond: How very diplomatic of you. Beyond Swarla: You Yeah, yeah, it's a bit of juggling game, isn't it? It's possible. I mean, I don't know. I don't know because I think kind of backlash that they got, that storyline got, I think that anyone in the curry ⁓ whatsoever to have anything to do with it ever again. I don't think they'll go near it because for fear of absolutely cocking it up. I think I Kate Brooks, I would leave the whole thing alone and I would just let it settle because Laurie: Mm. Beyond Swarla: They have to, I mean, we will talk about this, but there's been some awful things said about Lisa this week by the general audience, not necessarily in the fandom, but even in the fandom as well. ⁓ And there is a balancing act that Corrie have to do between, you know, keeping the general audience happy and keeping the fandoms happy. I don't even think, I don't even know if they want to keep the fandom happy. And there's something coming up for Bernie involving Kit and her family dynamic, but it's far too ahead to speak about. Well, thanks for that, Kate. Keep us on tenterhooks, why don't you? Yeah, so this storyline for Tim and Sally is gonna test them as a couple and also as foster parents. So that will be interesting. Then we have a new love for Leanne. Say hello to Alia's cousin Idris. So she's getting a boyfriend. I want to know. Beyond: Was this the same cousin who was supposed to look after you in school? So younger than you? Okay. Okay. So, so how was your... And that was your aunt's daughter who was the same age as you? Right. Okay. Okay. Okay. Elang: No, no, no, that's an entirely different cousin. The one I was actually living with. Laurie: you ⁓ Beyond Swarla: and I wish you all the best in your recovery and also enjoy wedding. ⁓ Okay, you so much. Thank you. ⁓ Elang: Yes. Yes, exactly. Within a year, right? Like from seven to eight, we were living in a different place, which is my mother's house. 2008, all of this was happening in 2007, me not going to school and the bullying and everything, while we were living in my mother's house. Laurie: Hmm. Elang: Yes! You're most welcome. Beyond Swarla: I just don't think they'll ever be able to do it right or... I just don't think they'll ever be able to please the people who are not pleased and who are traumatized by it. I just don't think whatever they do, they won't get it right. And if I was Kate, I would just say, like, let's just leave well alone. Let's just let sleeping dogs lie. Let's never ever mention this ever again. Next! When is Ryan getting a love story storyline? ⁓ I don't want to see Leanne snogging anyone. I want to see Ryan snogging someone. don't... Come on guys. at all. I don't know how big the fandom is in comparison to viewing figures. Probably not even well, I don't know. Their viewing figures are what? Three and half million? What's the fandom? It's just like, it's a tiny, tiny, tiny. We are the one percent. I mean, we are. Despite, you know, I know Ian said it and we all have our views about him. But Laurie: me too. Yeah, come on. Come on, Cory. you Me too, absolutely, I'm right there with you. Elang: And then in 2008, we moved to my grandmother's house, which is like 10 kilometers away. It's not far. You can just get there by taxi or you can walk there really. We moved to my grandmother's ⁓ Laurie: ⁓ small portion of that. Yeah, it's a very small portion. ⁓ Beyond Swarla: I mean it's been ages hasn't it right? Okay. ⁓ And we have Carl and Debbie start again. But time is running out. ⁓ Can make up for how badly he's treated his mum? Well, in my opinion, ⁓ no. Laurie: You know what, Ariane, I'm not sure. I... Yeah, no, I'm not sure because we've got Swallow in a good place now. They're married, happily, blah, blah. It'll become a bit too pedestrian for the writers in a year or so. Something's gonna... I'm sorry. I don't want... really don't want this. I want to leave the Becky situation exactly where it is. She doesn't ever get out of prison, but... Beyond Swarla: ⁓ really? Okay. ⁓ Beyond: It's a long walk. Well for us it's a long walk. Beyond Swarla: but we are a very small portion of the general audience and although we are very, loud, there's 80 members of the cast, so... Elang: Yeah. We moved to my grandmother's house and I think that's kind of where things just started happening. That's where my cousin started getting violent and it was just a whole mess. I can't say I remember much in the years 2008 to 2013 because I was just trying to stay sane. So yeah. Laurie: ⁓ my god. Beyond Swarla: No he can't just just get him gone get him gone back to Deutschland come on What's matter with you anyway, and then Tyrone's dad arrives? A new face joins the Dobbs clan. Anyway, so that's that's a kind of summer preview ⁓ Those are the kind of storylines that are gonna ⁓ nothing to do with Swalla and nothing to do Betsy in there So there's nothing in there for Swalla or Betsy and I suspect we're going to get Laurie: Bye. Yeah, I I absolutely get what you're saying. mean, yeah, my logical brain says, of course, of course, of course, but, yeah, it just... You just know they've got that trump card. If they want to create instant drama, they just bring that out. Beyond Swarla: I want to clarify, I don't like that. want to see them. I just want to make sure that people know I am absolutely fuming. Absolutely fuming. I want to watch them all day every day. I want to talk about them all day every day. mean, for God's sake, We have a podcast about this whole thing. I don't have a problem with them bringing Becky back. I think if they the trauma, think is my point. mean, think that the Becky, I think bringing Becky back for another storyline where Swala are united against her instead of not, then I think that that will work well. I think that will be fine. If it's a with Betsy ⁓ or something like I think ⁓ that's fine. Beyond: Okay, if you don't mind saying, kind of abuse did you suffer? Laurie: No. No! I see, yeah, yeah, yeah. Thanks Elang: I think we can all acknowledge that there's a bit of psychological abuse ⁓ in like violence because okay, we went to the same school, we were in the same grade, so we were always together, always. ⁓ happened in school, it's more like she was watching me. If has laughed in school, it would be Beyond Swarla: A ⁓ fair few weeks ⁓ during the summer that we might not see a lot of them People were up in arms about that but when you think about it these guys have had ⁓ Massive storylines over the last few months. ⁓ I mean September well since September definitely but ⁓ ⁓ So don't be under any disillusion that I'm completely rational about this. I'm not rational about this at all. I try to be as least unhinged as possible, let's just say. But I want to see them. I want to see more of them. I think that what they've done this week has been atrocious. Laurie: Here we go again. Beyond: Yep. Yep. Beyond Swarla: just any kind of like, I don't know, PTSD or any kind of mental health storyline going back to Lisa's abuse, allegedly, whatever, however you want to put it. just don't think would touch it if I was Corrie. Laurie: Yeah, but you talk a good talk, you what mean? You seem completely rational in your reasoning. Hmm. Elang: we would get home and be like immediate violence and I'll be like, ⁓ you're actually watching me in school. That is insane. And I remember I talked about it with my therapist I only remember just a little bit of what happened. Like, I remember just ⁓ with my head being severely hit against the wall. Outside of that, I don't remember much. ⁓ Beyond Swarla: through the first half of last year as well was, you know, the hostage stuff, the stuff, the Betsy stuff, the kidney stuff. ⁓ was ⁓ Lisa's health They moved house. That woman turned up and that was, ⁓ you know, they front and center for a lot of last year. So of course things are take a backseat for a while. ⁓ I hope that get to see them, Laurie: Yeah, no, I see what you're saying. Yeah, that is a bit of a hot potato and to do it just this now after so much time has passed, would have to be handled very delicately. But like I said, it just wouldn't surprise me if it's being buried to raise its head at some point. Hmm Beyond: Yeah. Beyond Swarla: ⁓ I mean, obviously we've got to see Lisa a lot, the fact that the post wedding swaller scene was 38 seconds long and that's it. Now they're off screen. anyway, right. Okay. Let's talk about that scene, that one scene that we got this week. Thoughts? Well, yeah, we have no idea what goes on in their heads, do we really? Sometimes it beggars belief, as we well know. ⁓ So I wouldn't put anything past them, but I'd be very, if it was me, I'm just talking from a personal point of view, if it was me, you know, show running, I touch it with a barge ball. Laurie: Mm-mm. Ha Well, we're talking about sort of Betsy, the aftermath of that, right, in number six. Well, from what Sydney said in one of the, was it Inside Soap? One of those magazines. I only know this because I picked this up off TikTok. It was supposed to be, it sounded like that was supposed to be a much more emotional dialogue heavy scene, but it was cut to basically, Beyond Swarla: in ⁓ odd moments where they a little ⁓ storylines here there that just are D or E storylines during the summer, that would be nice. But Vicky is apparently very busy at the moment, so it means ⁓ eight weeks ⁓ which is, what's eight weeks hence? Middle of July? ⁓ Yeah, she's be... Laurie: I don't know. Elang: if I remembered all of it, I don't know if I could like ⁓ deal with it properly. Maybe now could actually handle it, but for the time being, ⁓ like at the time it was lot. It was too much. ⁓ Beyond Swarla: InsideSafe, yep. Laurie: Mm. Yeah. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: Anyway, yes, it would have been it would have been nice for her to have that but it was good that Danielle and Todd had that conversation. was was enlightening to say the least. Laurie: It's interesting that... Beyond: Yep. Yep. Laurie: ⁓ okay. Elang: And I do have a distinct memory of almost being branded... Okay... With a coin, no less. Laurie: know, Betsy comes down looking a bit hungover and sad. Lauren's in the kitchen with Carla and Lisa and it's just like, ⁓ it was all of, what, a minute? Less than a minute? ⁓ my God, there we go. So I think I felt, again, you know, I felt a little bit cheated. I think that was a scene that should have been padded out a bit because we know that poor Betsy has got all this trauma that as far as we know, she's not had any help. Get on time, yeah. Beyond Swarla: front and centre presumably or busy doing something but not sure what so maybe that's smaller stuff maybe that's just Lisa stuff we don't know but we'll see you'll see Elang: She heated a coin and then put it at the back of my neck and I was like that is heat. I'm so glad I don't have the scar today, but For a good amount of time. I did have it on the back of my neck. Yeah And that went on for about a good five years until we were 13 Yeah, until she moved away 13 is when you complete your PSLE which is like a very important Beyond Swarla: 38 seconds. Laurie: interesting this um i thought this betsy storyline was going to be quite a big one and there's no mention of that and is it because it's happening now or you know Beyond Swarla: Stop. It's either being filmed now and so will, no, because it's soft being filmed now will air through the summer, won't it? Because now what they're filming now, which is the first week in May, will start to air first week in July-ish, end of June, July. I think maybe they won't do it till autumn. Maybe it's the autumn storyline and autumn storyline. have quite a few big storylines that run through the autumn to winter season, don't they? So potentially that's when it's gonna be. I have no idea. But yeah. Laurie: dealing with, there's gonna be no sort of intervention, no counselling or whatever. And now she's got this to deal with. So I get annoyed with Cory sometimes that they are asking us to sort of fill in the gaps a little bit. ⁓ But sometimes it's a bit of a stretch. So, you know, are we gonna fast forward to two weeks later, where Betsy's like, ⁓ I'm still a bit upset about it, it's still affecting me, but I'm fine. Do you know what I mean? Sometimes those scenes need to happen and yet they put... Elang: exam when you're leaving primary school. So after that exam we didn't live together anymore. She went off northeast to live with her mom because we live we're in currently in the south right now. Yeah. Laurie: Mm. okay. Beyond: Okay. I mean, did that affect your education? I mean, obviously you said you retook one grade, but obviously five years on, your education suffer, do think? Beyond Swarla: So Laurie: really random scenes. I'm just like, well, that's just a waste of time and that's gone on far too long. And I don't know whether it's, ⁓ you know, in the edit, the director is, I'm not sure how the process works sort of post-production, whether they're saying, okay, well, you know, that that needs to be cut because we need to push that a little bit and that's a bit funny as we need to mix that. I mean, I don't know what happens, but certainly I've noticed it quite a few times and not just in terms of Swallow, in terms of quite the other storylines as well. They're asking us. Elang: It didn't, it didn't. Surprisingly, it did not. Because I had great teachers, but it didn't. Which I'm really thankful for. Laurie: hoping for a romantic summer which basically means two seconds of swala and ⁓ your lot. ⁓ like the romantic spring we had. ⁓ Beyond: Yeah, that's amazing. It could have really derailed your entire education. Okay, so circumstance changed. Beyond Swarla: What you mean like the romantic spring we had? Yeah. Okay, fair enough. Yeah, that's fine. ⁓ I want to see baby Connie back. Elang: ⁓ huh. Yeah. Laurie: to fill in the gaps a little bit too much, think. And to the casual viewer and someone like me who has to really concentrate because their mind is going elsewhere most of the time, it can be a bit difficult to understand sometimes what we're supposed to fit. Does that make sense? Am I just rambling? yeah, me too, me too. That would be a nice summer storyline, she comes back. Beyond: factors meant that it changed for you. ⁓ your relationship with that cousin now? mean, do you have one at all? Do you have you ever kind of broached that subject with her at all? Sorry, if that's a silly question. ⁓ Beyond Swarla: Either it's a summer storyline or that would be quite a nice autumn storyline for her to become a permanent member of the household Yeah, so we won't speculate too much. We can do that another episode. And we've got nothing to talk about, nothing else to talk about. ⁓ Right. got some feedback. ⁓ Everybody liked the wedding special. ⁓ thanks guys. ⁓ We... Elang: Mm-hmm. Beyond Swarla: Yeah, no, it does. ⁓ We know there was a scene ⁓ filmed, shot, because ⁓ talked it and it was cut ⁓ and it's not Sydney's know, she wasn't to know that it wasn't actually going to air. But the problem was, is that everyone knew that it was there. It existed. And it was an important scene because Coronation Street is built on strong women and you've got four women in that Elang: No, no, no, it's okay. No, we don't have a relationship. No, I have never broached the subject. Funny my mother like, guys, you should involve so-and-so. Let me not mention her name. Beyond Swarla: Yeah, we had some really, really nice feedback for the wedding special. ⁓ And it's done very, very well in terms of figures for us, which was lovely. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We've got listeners across the world. ⁓ UK, US, South Africa, Australia, Asia, South America, Japan. Brilliant. And it's awesome. And for a new and very niche podcast, ⁓ our figures are doing really, really well. So thank you guys. Thank you for listening. ⁓ Laurie: Mm. Beyond: Yep. No, no, don't. It's fine. Elang: She's like, guys, you should talk to ⁓ and so often because she disappears ⁓ I don't think she has friends, I don't think she's socializing. And it's like, mother, you all people can acknowledge what happened, yet you expect me to be ⁓ civil to be friends. I can be civil. That's the of it, though. There is nothing that can happen past that. Beyond Swarla: in that house, one of whom has been through the most horrendous ordeals her whole life since she got there. Lauren, who was battered after death and abused. You've got Lisa, know, think what you like, victim of abuse. You've got Betsy, she's had her boyfriend killed, she's been shot by her mother, she thought that her other mother was dead for four years. And there is a lot of love for our little cartoon characters as well, which is cool. And I have to thank Elle for that because she is entirely the puppet master when it comes to that. I am useless at anything like that. So thank you. And all being well, we'll bring some more of them to you. OK, so, Elle, do you want to take some feedback? Beyond: So have you... did your mum at the time, did your mum know what was going on? has she just since... ⁓ she did at the time and she didn't step in I'm guessing? ⁓ Do you know what the reason for that is or have you speculated what the reason for that might have been? Beyond Swarla: Then she was manipulated and used as a weapon by that mother and has had to see her go to jail. And now has seen a dead body. It would not have killed them to show that fucking scene, you know? I don't understand why they didn't because what we got was nothing, really nothing. Betsy needs some help, probably. And you're right that the next time we see them all together, it'll probably be two weeks later. And Laurie: . Elang: Yeah. She did. She did not. Laurie: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes, we've got Jackie on TikTok. She says, love the podcast. Brilliant. Keep them coming. Thank you, Jackie. We've got Tilly girl also on TikTok. Love the Swala wedding special and really enjoyed hearing Joe's perspective on why she became so invested in Swala. They truly are magical. We've got Helen on TikTok says, well worth a listen. It's affectionate, emotional, and most of all, very funny. Thank you, Helen. We think so. It will make you smile. Elang: I honestly have not and do not know the reason because I think at the time I was so busy trying to survive and at some point I remember I changed a lot of my own character to try and fit and mold my mother would be like okay I love you enough to get you out of situation let's go but that never happened so I Beyond Swarla: it'll all be done and a lot of people said that they wanted this to be the sort of maybe a mental health storyline for Betsy but it's not going to be. I'm going to wager that it's not going to be a mental health storyline for several reasons one of which is that they're going to do that with Sam. yeah I'm not best pleased and there was also another scene that was cut as well Laurie: a lot. Thank you, Helen. And then we've got KBM 2024 on TikTok, says, your podcasts were so informative and enjoyable. Love everyone's views on the different characters. I look forward to listening to your podcasts. Thank you, you guys. Elang: I just left it at where it was. Beyond: but you still have a relationship with your mum? or do you? is that another question that's fraud? Elang: Ugh. Beyond Swarla: which was later on this week, which we'll talk about. ⁓ But no, I don't think Betsy's ever had a therapy session in her life. And I was like, please, please let this be the time that she actually decides or they actually decide for her, you need to go and get some help. This is too traumatic. Everything that's happened to you in the last five years has been too much. And I think that at least you need to talk about it with someone who knows how to help you. But no, it's like... ⁓ thank you. We've got some, we've got some more as well. We've got Harvey for Jane Live Co. at on TikTok and said that synopsis of their relationship at the start of your latest episode was stunning, Carrie Anne. And I'm like, really? Because that's the first time I've ever done anything like that. So thank you so much. ⁓ Amy said just finished the podcast as always. It was fab. Again, looking forward to the next one. ⁓ she's so greedy Amy. Elang: don't know if I would just describe it as a relationship. I mean I do live in her house. ⁓ Laurie: Oop. Beyond: Okay. Okay. There's a lot of history there obviously and lot of disappointment on your behalf. Elang: There's too, there's, I think there's too much it to be like, okay, ⁓ are close mother, we have a close mother and daughter relationship. We just have, ⁓ we can. ⁓ Laurie: No, it was great. It was great. It was great. Fair play. was great. Yeah. Yep. Beyond: just like roommates, I guess. Beyond Swarla: Give her a kiss, cancel your honeymoon and then mum goes off to find a killer. I know Amy, it's okay. Elle, not you, ⁓ on TikTok, listened to this yesterday. That was a while back now. It was brilliant, loved it, well worth it. And Magic292, really enjoying the podcast. And I mean, that's only a few of the things that people said. They've all been very positive. Thank you so much. Yeah, so we're so... Elang: like that. Laurie: Not me. Beyond: Yeah, that's difficult, that must be difficult for you at a very vulnerable age you didn't get the support from her that you should expected I guess. Elang: Yeah. Laurie: It's weird, like you've mentioned there, like those four women are each carrying a lot of trauma and the only person who's really got help for it, because she was forced to, was Lisa via work when it was about when, you know, it's Becky's death. And I think they could all do with a couple of therapies. Well, you could say that about most of the characters, couldn't you? But I think that's important because they need to normalise that, that, you know, when people are struggling with mental health and whatever that might be. Elang: Yeah, it took me a while to kind of come to terms with the fact that, okay, I'll probably never have a close relationship with my mother. And I kind of have to make peace with that. Beyond Swarla: We're so grateful to you guys because without you listening and feeding back to us, we'd probably just be shouting into the void. And that wouldn't be much fun, to be honest. So before we go, Elan mentioned some sapphic books that she'd been reading. And I said, oh, if you give me a list of them, I'll read them out. if you like sapphic, Beyond: Yep, very grown up to have made peace with that. Elang: Hmm Laurie: like show that people are brave enough to go get that help and how help can really make a huge difference and really change your perspective on things. But they don't, they just don't. Beyond: And you know, you mentioned that you're having therapy or have had therapy and has that kind of helped with that kind of realization? Beyond Swarla: mean, Carla has had in the past quite a lot of help. So it's possible that she has many, many tools that she knows how to use in order to get herself out of that potentially. But she is not a therapist, so she can't help the others. And certainly not. She can support to a certain extent, as can we all in these circumstances, we can help friends out, but it's not the same, not the same tool. Elang: It has. I had, I, in this, in the time, okay, when it comes to therapy, about two different therapists. The first one I got in like 2021, but it was only for Beyond Swarla: fiction then there's a few here that she's given to us. one, number one is her spell that binds me by someone called Luna Oblonski. Laurie: Mmm. No, no, no absolutely. Beyond: Okay. Elang: a little a short while because I realized okay this is not the kind of therapist I need. I remember I also made a complaint I made a complaint against her because I'm like you're not supposed to do that as a therapist. feel like if ⁓ okay I feel like if it had been ⁓ with a different mindset then Laurie: Mm. Beyond Swarla: Okay, so yeah, that was all we got. That was the whole scene. We've just been cross. Yeah, I think it's valid. I think the anger is valid. Laurie: So basically we've just been cross. We've just been cross, yeah. Beyond: Okay. You don't have to go into the details of that. Laurie: Yeah, I think so. Beyond Swarla: So let's talk about Lisa because we did see a lot of DS Connors way. Not today. This Friday we're recording. ⁓ Elang: I had, they would have, it would have been easier to assimilate herb leaves. Whereas because I knew already, I had some semblance of, okay, this is not supposed to be like this. I looked at it, I was like, you're not supposed to do that. And then I was like, this is not gonna happen. I'm not doing the same. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: Now I'm going to ask you this question and you're going to go off on one. Okay, ready? How realistic was it in real terms? Laurie: okey dokey. Beyond Swarla: is all about a coveted pendant of ⁓ Morgan Le Fay's, which is, ⁓ so it's a, Laurie: ⁓ yeah. ⁓ Jesus Christ. It really well. The first point is, that Lisa is part of a community in Weatherfield. She lives with, ⁓ you know, in that community with the people with the with them. So realistically, she wouldn't be on this case at all. Neither would Kit. Absolutely. So that's straight out. ⁓ Would she be going around ⁓ doing these sort of Beyond: Yeah, okay. If you don't feel comfortable then, you know, then obviously you can't open up, it's, you know, and people generally do sometimes do have to shop around bit in verticons to find a therapist that they can work with. Elang: Yeah. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: fantasy. It's a fantasy story. ⁓ we have the Caffanon by Fletcher De Lancie. ⁓ a ⁓ sapphic sci-fi, which is great. ⁓ part of a series. So if you like that one, you can start reading the whole series. This is number one. ⁓ then it's always been you by Melissa Therese. Elang: Yes, Yeah. Beyond Swarla: Of course Beyond: Obviously, so your situation changed when you were 13, 14. And you found yourself in another situation which unfortunately wasn't much better, was it? In fact, it wasn't any better at all, was it? So, all jokes aside, do you want to talk a little bit about that situation? Elang: 1313. Laurie: You know illegal interviews with people and then bringing them in and then interview. No, she wouldn't She's a DS so she would be sending the DC's out to do that and they'll be they'd be doing all the grunt work basically all the legwork and then she come in at the end and say right if we got enough for CPS or you know, whatever ⁓ third point Elang: Yeah sure, I don't mind. Okay so believe that one started in 2014? Towards the end of the year really. Or media, I don't even remember. Beyond Swarla: Hehehehehe that's classic rom-com by looks of it have a protagonist who is having a very bad time ⁓ she ⁓ she let her love slip through her 10 years ago and that love is now back ⁓ and ⁓ we'll just see what happens ⁓ anyway so those three books we'll put those books up on our socials so that you can see them ⁓ and thank you for allowing for recommending those to Laurie: ⁓ I have to jog back because this just this ⁓ my god this made me it made me laugh because it was so ridiculous so when ⁓ where ⁓ I've been no co's dead right so I'm not spoiling anything I'm just trying to think where we are because we have we're past that aren't we ⁓ so when they're at Lisa and Nick Lisa and Kit are at the Nick and they're talking about ⁓ the ⁓ pathology report they're just like ⁓ yeah Beyond: It doesn't matter. Elang: So for the majority of my life, ⁓ think I was nine, I thought of myself as an only child because I did not live with my sister. I didn't know she was my sister. Beyond Swarla: Yeah. If you have any other Suffolk recommendations, including fan fiction, then do let us know. We'll try to find those and put them on our socials as well. Laurie: blunt force trauma to the head so it wasn't suicide and I was like are you kidding ⁓ Anybody that body on the floor can see that he's got a massive gash on the side of his head as he's facing up. He's fallen on his back so he's smacked his head. Of course it's murder. ⁓ my god. Back to police school, DS Connor Swain. Back to police school, DS Kit Green. You ⁓ muppets. Elang: And then from like that age until like 2013, we didn't live together. But I was aware, okay, I do have an older sister. Okay. We have that big an... Yeah, we have that big an age difference. So it kind of makes sense that... Yeah, it was told it's a 12 year difference. So now that I'm 26, she's like... Beyond Swarla: Right, I think we're done. Are we done? Laurie: I think so. Yeah, I think we are. Beyond Swarla: It's been a week, it's been a couple of weeks hasn't it? All the furore from the wedding is now dissipated and all we have left is those glorious memories of that beautiful day. ⁓ Beyond: And she's quite a lot older than you, isn't she? Okay, which is, is it 12 years did you say? Laurie: That beautiful short day with no passionate kiss, it just stays in my heart, you know? Beyond Swarla: DC, DC, DC, don't promote him. But what I mean, but actually hang on a minute because what did you think of the fact that the first scene on Monday was ⁓ Todd, Christina, George and Mary just opening the door, the gate to the yard where Theo had obviously been seen by the paramedics because he had a patch on him. What on earth? Laurie: DC, sorry, DC, yeah. ⁓ Beyond Swarla: You Elang: 38. Laurie: I'm joking. I love that. I'm joking. Beyond Swarla: ⁓ it's fine, it's fine. Right, folks, will bid you a fun farewell. We will be back in a couple of weeks ⁓ to talk about ⁓ swala ⁓ and and we'll how many people Lisa has arrested by that point. ⁓ But in the meantime, safe, be good, enjoy the weather ⁓ and from Ellen and Elang: Yeah. And then she moved to come live with us. Okay, I think I should mention that we were still living at my grandmother's house my wasn't living there anymore. Her twins were not living there anymore. ⁓ Now daughter wasn't living there anymore. ⁓ So was basically just myself, my and grandfather. Because ⁓ Beyond: Yep. Beyond Swarla: Sorry, but what on earth? Laurie: This was also like hilariously ridiculous because, you know, we've got a dead body on the floor. We've got this scene, you know, and it needs to be preserved. So it needs to be cordoned off to preserve any forensics and stop any cross contamination. So those four muppets basically could have left footprints, fibers, anything, which is going to really realistically that would complicate a murder investigation. realistically that well. Beyond Swarla: Bye! Bye guys! Elang: In 2011, my grandmother passed. So it was just the year of us now. my sister came over to live with us, so it was just four of us now. In the time she would come and live with us, at the time she was pregnant. Beyond: Yep. Laurie: Where Theo was when he was found, you'd have to seal off that sort of gardeny bit. You'd have to seal off the guineal and you'd have to probably seal off half the street as well. So everybody would just be like, ⁓ we can't go anywhere. We're locked in our houses. ⁓ yeah, ⁓ just blew my mind. It blew my, cause this wouldn't really happen. And why did they do it anyway? Do you know? Like, why would you do? ⁓ all go look at a dead body. Elang: So that's a fun little nugget. Beyond: Right. you Elang: I think at first I thought, ⁓ you're being like this because you're pregnant and it's hormones. Beyond: Right, okay. Elang: Yeah. But it happens, yes. And then after the baby came, I was like, oh, so it wasn't pregnancy. You are just like this. Beyond Swarla: You Beyond: I mean, it happens. Beyond Swarla: don't know why they would. Yeah, let's let's go just to check. Yeah. Laurie: Yeah, just to check, just to check. I mean, the paramedics have obviously done their bits and pieces and whatever. in all likelihood, the police and the paramedics would have arrived together. Because if they didn't know he was dead at that point, it would have been like, there's a man who's had a fall ⁓ or very serious assault. So they would have arrived together. So those fall wouldn't have been anywhere near it. ⁓ But I was just like, what are you guys doing? But yeah, that interaction with Lisa and Kit in the nick, I was just like, Beyond: And when you say you're just like this, what does this look like? What kind of behaviors was she displaying that made you think, hang on a minute. Elang: Huh, how do we explain this? constant shouting, the constant insulting, the constant bullying. This just so much. This is just so much. And she's She's very loud. ⁓ Beyond Swarla: Yeah. Laurie: ⁓ my god, you two are ridiculous. I mean, I love Lisa. I really, do. But sometimes the way they write the police stuff for her, I'm like, ⁓ Jesus Christ. And the other thing is, is there a DI now at Weatherfield? Because obviously, a DCI. OK. Elang: So I think pregnancy exacerbated it but it wasn't really thing that made the behaviors super like, ⁓ you are just like this. I didn't know this was possible. Like I thought you were like me. ⁓ I was raised by my, I think also it had to do with how we were raised. But then I'm like, I know we're different. I know we were raised differently. ⁓ Beyond Swarla: Yeah, DCI, think. I think it was, Or DI. Whoever is costile is replacement, I'm guessing. Beyond: Ha ha ha. Laurie: Replace Costello. Yeah, so that person would have been the senior investigating officer. So they would have been in charge of that murder. And their job is to come up with a working hypothesis, know, murder, motive, suspect, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then he directs sort of the ground troops. So the DCs then are then like, right, what are we doing? Elang: But how we so different? Beyond: Are you completely sisters or are half sisters or you're half sisters? Okay. Elang: no half yeah because i'm like doesn't make any sense but that went on forever guess i guess got to a point where i was like i cannot i cannot do this anymore i cannot allow myself to be a victim question mark Beyond Swarla: I believe it's a she. I believe it's a she. We've seen her. You did! It doesn't matter. Laurie: there we go she did i say did i did i say he did i ⁓ my god what's wrong with me misogyny ⁓ yeah so so lisa wouldn't be leading that investigation is what i'm saying she'd be she'd be supervising like the dcs ⁓ but the sio would be right this is what we're doing this is the hypothesis we're working on right bring them in Beyond: Yep, okay. Elang: So I was like, no, I'm not doing this anymore. So even though the behaviors are still there, I'm just less affected by them. Beyond Swarla: We don't actually know that she is leading the investigation. It's possible that she isn't leading the investigation. There hasn't been actually any indication that she's leading it, right? Beyond: So you recognized that there was something off quite early on, I guess. Elang: And that was it. Laurie: thought we were to assume that because she's like at the front of the action and she's doing all the interviews and stuff I think the assumption there is that we're supposed to think okay well Lisa's in charge of this she's got this big case on but that's not really how it happens but yeah so that had me fuming for the third time this week Elang: Yeah, but there was a time... Okay, so in the time after 2014, right, when we started living together, my mother had to move off to the north, like very far north. Beyond Swarla: Yeah, yeah. I thought you'd have something to say about that. I mean, obviously we know it's not realistic in any terms whatsoever, but what actually gets me is why everybody expects it to be. I mean, what? You know, let's talk about the cut scene that we had on Wednesday because after George was interviewed, he was released, obviously. Elang: Okay, let me try and organize the timeline of events. 2014, we're living at my grandmother's house. End of 2014, we move back to my mother's house. That's a lot of moving. We move back to my mother's house. So from 2015 until like today, we're living in the same place. And 2015. Laurie: Mm. Yeah. Beyond: Okay. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: and then Christina was brought in and sometime in that period of time Kit and Lisa, we have a still, we have a still photo on spoilers of Kit and Lisa at Lisa's desk chatting. Now that was cut, we never saw that and we know it was Wednesday because of her toothpaste shirt. Elang: My mother moves away, so it's just my sister, myself, and her son, a new baby. Beyond: ⁓ gosh, so there's just buffer whatsoever. It's just two adults and a child. A child. Elang: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Beyond Swarla: Yeah, you know which one I mean. So the problem I've got with that is that it's part of... the murder... the problem I have is the murder seems to be at the forefront. It's the biggest story running at the moment in Corrie, right? Okay, I think everyone would agree that that's probably the case, at least this week. Laurie: know which one. Weirdly straight away I was like, oh I know the one, yep. Elang: It's a 27 year old a 14 year old and Baby was like two months old Yeah, cuz December Yeah Beyond: ⁓ my gosh, okay. And you're still a child yourself, obviously, and she's the only adult in the house. And she's behaving badly. ⁓ Elang: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So... Beyond Swarla: Why? was, so that scene, whatever was said in that scene, we have no idea what was said in that scene. Were they talking about George? Were they talking about Christina? know, were they hypothesizing about what could actually have happened? And they cut it. And again, we're left filling in the gaps because something else took priority. And I'm like, well, something else took priority, but I thought that the wedding, that the murder was the priority. Elang: Yeah, it's just one tantrum after another. One tantrum after another. It's like, how are you the adult in this situation? I'm pretty sure I asked myself that a lot of times. Because I'm like, but why? Why are you acting like this? I had to make try and make sense of the situation because we're in a situation here. And I'm like, mm-mm. Nothing is making sense. Nothing is adding up. And it's like, you're you're behaving like this. We have to take care of a child. We're currently going through a financial crisis because my mother made horrible decisions. So... just keeps getting worse. So... Laurie: Hmm. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: and it clearly wasn't at that point. So anyway. Laurie: Yeah, you know, this whole murder thing. ⁓ I mean, you know, we all sort of in the last pod sort of thought who was what was going to happen and to who. And they really dragged the ass out of this. was just to me, it was really obvious and. I'm not sure, you know, like we were discussing and they sort of, Corrie will tend to sort of push you down a very narrow path sometimes to make you sort of assume, presume. Beyond: ⁓ How much of it do you think was related or have you thought about what was causing it at all? Obviously originally you thought it might be hormones but clearly it wasn't. So were ⁓ any kind of ⁓ factors that you think were kind of adding into it? Not that that makes it acceptable at all but how did you kind of evaluate it all? Beyond Swarla: heard it like sheep, I've told you. Laurie: herded like sheep. Absolutely. And we're looking at, you know, the Theo Murder Club, aren't we? They're the prime suspects we've talked about before, but we can't, we've got to think Sarah out of that because she had a knock to the head. So it's the others. Well, I think it's going to be, I think they're to do something. We're not going to find out till the end of June, sort of beginning of July, are we? But I think they're just going to do something like route. Oh, do you want me to, I can park it. I can park it. All right. Yep. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: Well, you never know. You never know. Elang: I, I, at the time I didn't, at the time I was just too busy trying to survive. Beyond Swarla: We're going to talk about this. We are going to talk about this later. Park it for a second. Park it for a second. Let's talk about misogyny for a bit, shall we? Let's talk about how... Let's talk about the fact that Lisa online getting so much hate because, ⁓ could it be that she's a woman? Because Kit doesn't get this hate. Beyond: No, okay. Yeah, you were 14. I mean, clearly, obviously. Yeah. Elang: Yeah. Looking at it today, think I'd say, okay, you were stressed. had just had a baby. There was financial difficulty. You were suddenly left with a 14-year-old that you do not know. Laurie: My favorite subject. Elang: and we had just moved to like a different place. it's like all these vectors are combined. One alone could be a lot, but combined it's like, it creates a very high pressure ⁓ Laurie: Really? What is the problem with this? Is it just the way she's investigating? What is people's main beef with her? Beyond Swarla: So she wasn't smiley enough, hell. She wasn't smiley enough. Laurie: What? Beyond Swarla: She had an attitude. She had an attitude apparently. She was, you know, I don't know, doing her job. Yeah. For the listener, obviously that was utterly useless. So I just want everyone to know that Elle did not look happy. Let's say she was not smiley. Laurie: I'm not being funny, right? Beyond: Yeah, yeah. Not that it's an excuse, as I say, it's not. But looking back on it, you can... I guess you can try to ⁓ why it was happening. Elang: Yeah. Laurie: I was gonna say, do you wanna see my job face? This is my job face. Right? Elang: Mm-hmm. Beyond: So, as you kind of grew through that into your later teens, how you kind of come to terms with it, recognise it for what it was? ⁓ I obviously, if you'd been subjected to that kind of behaviour for years and years at that point, how did you cope? How did you recognise it? What did you do? Laurie: But yeah, we answered it. It's fine. And I'm usually quite smiley, but my game face, I'm professional, it's a very serious job to be in dealing with serious matters. We're not gonna be like smiley smiley, let's have a chat, informal sort of speaking to people. That's just kind of how it goes. Beyond Swarla: So there are people who acknowledge that she shouldn't be on the case. Well, okay, we know, but she is on the case. ⁓ So why do people expect her to be smiley and chatty with her neighbors when she's trying to investigate a murder? Laurie: Hmm. Yeah, when you're forced into that, like we just discussed, in reality it wouldn't happen, but if you're forced into that position within the storyline, then you have to switch it up. You switch to job mode and job mode, you know, as a police officer, it's just kind of how it is. You're you're friendly. I mean, it's slightly different probably with neighborhood policing. If this was just a like, oh, you know, dealing with an ASB or something or another, then absolutely that's how you are because it's community-focused policing. Beyond Swarla: I don't get it. Laurie: But if a murder investigation was very serious, you can't be all like matey friendly smiley because, you know, like I said, it's a very serious thing to be dealing with. Beyond Swarla: I mean you preach into the choir but what the most interesting thing is is that Kit behaved exactly the same and he didn't get it. Laurie: Hmm Beyond Swarla: So, you know, they're all going, you know, Lisa shouldn't be investigating this. You know, her daughter was the one that found the body, but not in the least bit saying, ⁓ Kit shouldn't be doing this because ⁓ he's the of Todd's best friend. ⁓ Or he be ⁓ interviewing David he's shagging David's sister ⁓ and beat up ⁓ and, slept David's wife. So. Laurie: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Beyond Swarla: This is the problem is I can do the criticism, I can do the criticism, it's fine, I understand. What I can't do is the double standards and the clear misogyny of some of the people making these comments where it's obvious that they just don't like the woman doing the job. And I might be making a massive generalisation and I'm speaking for people I don't know, Elang: I to day, I don't know. how it is that I didn't end up doing drugs with all my other peers. Because there was so much, there was so much, it would have been so easy to just land in a situation where I'm doing drugs and drinking and just like that as a form of escapism. Beyond: Right, yep. Laurie: Thank I mean, yes, I can. Yeah, it's a real shame really that people will go on the attack for that reason. And yeah, I think you're right identifying if Kit is being treated differently than that does tell you something, didn't it? It's either like people don't like her being a woman or that she's a gay woman or, you know, there's a whole sort of raft of things that could be the issue with people. But interestingly, how people are reacting to her. I mean, there's plenty of times sort of when I was on the front line where, I'd rock up. Elang: But I've been, ⁓ always been so academically, like, should I say smart, gifted? Okay. ⁓ Beyond: You can say that, yep. I think studied biochemistry you can probably say objectively that you are smart. Laurie: quite clearly stripes on my shoulder, so I'm the senior person in charge, and the person would speak to my male colleague who's maybe just come out of police training school, and I'm like, excuse me. So it exists even within the policing family and even when members of the public interact with real police. So it doesn't surprise me. It's just such a shame that, you know. Elang: It's just always been easier to recognize it as, if I start this, I'm going to fall into a habit of drugs and I never going to come out because I'm going to use it as a coping mechanism. Beyond Swarla: Yeah. Yeah, but no, I, I, I did, I did figure, I have figured that it's probably something that goes on in real life, um, all the time. And it's, it's, uh, interesting that it's realistic in that way. Um, okay. So, so that's Swala. That's, that's, that's the extent of it. But I mean, we got to see Lisa bossing it. She was fantastic. Elang: I think first off when it started in 2014 I was a little shocked I was a little shell-shocked because I was like, mm-mm this is weird, this is very weird behavior and then going off into 2015 I was like, okay what if I just do everything she wants maybe that will just maybe that will just make it better for me Laurie: Mm. Beyond Swarla: I don't care that she shouldn't have been investigating. I love to see her with her very messy hair and beautiful shirts and attitude and swagger and give it all to me. That's fine. That's absolutely fine. And I will take that all day long every day. Elang: and then I just kind of off, ⁓ evaluating the situation and just exist in it as best as I can. Laurie: you Elang: I have distinct memories of things that were said at the time and it's just like, oof. Even as I was talking about it with my therapist, was like, mmm. when she said it, didn't make sense. It might have been 10 years ago, but it still doesn't make sense. It doesn't add up. Beyond Swarla: shall do the Corrie recap? All right there was a murder apparently. Laurie: Come on. Beyond Swarla: Was it who we expected? Elang: So kind of just... would say I've made my peace with it. It's something that happened. It's not something that I define myself by. ⁓ Laurie: Yes, well me, me 100 % and you know, I went into great detail last pod describing how it wouldn't work. I mean, it could have been any of them in reality, but yeah, because I think of the way that the storylines were developing, I was like, no, it's Theo's time to go. It's going to be him. Beyond Swarla: Hahaha Beyond: Good, good, Elang: but so rarely ever mention it too. Like, is this a thing that happened all those years ago? Beyond Swarla: It was interesting that a lot of people didn't like the fact that it was Theo, ⁓ mostly for the reason that they wanted to see Theo go to court. And in fact, Todd today said something similar. He said, you know, I would have been heard, I would have been able to put my case across, he wouldn't have been able to twist my words, all those kinds of things. And I think there are people who are genuinely upset because ⁓ he was an abuser, Theo was an abuser and Beyond: Yeah. So it's interesting that you say that. was it that made reach out to me about it? Because you didn't have to at all. But obviously you did. But you did. So what was about it? What was it about ⁓ it or or whatever? That kind of that you kind of thought to yourself, you know, actually, I do want to talk about it. Laurie: Hmm. Yeah. Elang: I didn't. I think it's because it's a thing that just happens. It's a thing that happens and people rarely ever acknowledge it as abuse. Beyond Swarla: The right and proper way to have dealt with that would be for him to have got justice in the courts and been sent down for a long, time. Beyond: Right. Laurie: completely agree. I think it was an easy way out for him. And he was a horrible, horrible character. But that would have been the right way to end that storyline, just get him locked up for how many years. Elang: Yeah. And I was like, okay, maybe this is something I do kind of need to, like, okay, talk about. Maybe this is something I need to acknowledge. if somebody sees it ⁓ relates to it and sees that, okay, you can get out of this. Then maybe if I can at least help one person, that would good. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: the problem that they had, Coronation Street had, was that they had Megan as well. So they weren't gonna run two court case storylines, were they? Potentially. So one of them had to die, basically. ⁓ And it's not right, but I can understand the decision because you're gonna turn the general audience off because... Laurie: Hmm. Yes, yep. Yep. Beyond: Yeah, yeah, I get that at all. get that completely. So said in our chat that we had a while ago that you built relationships outside of your family. So how important is building ⁓ that of support system outside of, you know, where the abuse is happening? ⁓ How crucial that be to your mental Laurie: Yeah. Beyond Swarla: you know, you don't want to drag two people through the courts and have two abuse storylines running at the same time and all of that kind of stuff. Yeah, I wouldn't have minded if it was either Megan or Theo, but I didn't want it to be either Megan or Theo because I wanted them both to, you know, I wanted their victims to be able to stand up and see them in court and have their say and, you know, Elang: Let me just say it can make or break you especially if you especially if you get the wrong friends Beyond: Yep. Yep. Okay. Laurie: Yeah. Beyond: Right, yep, okay. Elang: Because just as much as you have to shop around for a therapist, the first person you meet won't always be the person who has your best interest at heart. I think in the time since 2014 till now, I had attempted to end my own life at least three times. Twice as a teenager. Beyond Swarla: Obviously take the consequences of what a jury decided which is never you know Never clear card is it? Interesting interesting. So okay, so it was Theo Thank the Lord. We don't have to see him grinning like the Joker from Batman on the street anymore and being psychotic and What was that before? making butternut squash risotto for his Laurie: Mm. That. Beyond: ⁓ my gosh, okay. Elang: Twice as a teenager and ⁓ my twenties and I was like, maybe? ⁓ Beyond Swarla: for his ⁓ Weird. Okay, who do we think did it? Elang: So those relationships kind of helped me get out of my head a little bit and like... Laurie: I think the episodes we've seen were being led down a path to think it's summer. think George is too obvious, you know, the fact that, you know, the blood on his cuff from the fight and whatever. Todd, no, I don't think he's got aided him. Christina, I did think Christina actually for a bit. thought what, you know, but then I thought, no, just don't think that would make sense unless she went to Elang: find the joy in life, I guess. Beyond: Okay, yeah, well, that also happens, especially in teenage years, I'm guessing. I'm not an expert at all on that, so just my opinion. Laurie: flat because Todd was there briefly. Beyond Swarla: Christina seemed to be very concerned that it was George at one point and if it was her then she would know that it wasn't him. Laurie: Well, yeah, that was the other thing. But then Summer was quite incredulous, wasn't she, about it? She was just like, it couldn't have been him, George, when he was in custody. ⁓ And I was like, hmm, is that because it was you, Summer? But I think the brooch, yeah. Beyond Swarla: Yeah, the brooch, the brooch, the flying pig brooch is Summer's, covered in blood. Where did that come from? They don't have the DNA for the blood yet. ⁓ It's an interesting one. mean, Summer is a bit too obvious because Summer was the last person, potentially the last person to see him alive. ⁓ She doesn't have the wherewithal to throw him out of a window and off the scaffolding, I don't suppose, physically. Elang: ⁓ Laurie: Yeah. This is what I think, too obvious. Beyond Swarla: I mean, I'm assuming that we're going to see exactly what happened at some point. Laurie: I think, yeah, I think potentially they're gonna do something and it's just gonna blow our minds because we didn't even see it coming, do know what I mean? We're all being like, they're pointing out these suspects, blah, blah, and this is all what they did in the day and this is all their beef with Tifio, blah, blah, and it's gonna turn out to be like Ken Barlow, just randomly. Do know what I mean? Beyond Swarla: I told you, I told people on TikTok, I'm not ruling out Ken or Rita at this point. I'm not ruling them out, I'm not. Or Daniel, I mean, he's angry, he's angry. Laurie: Well, there we go. Ken and Rita, yeah, it'll be Ken and Rita tag team. The randomly, they just went to the flat, saw Theo and was just like, you know what? Off you go, mate. Beyond Swarla: I think that obviously Coronation Street have put up six suspects. I'm not sure it's any of them. I just don't. ⁓ Some people are saying Sarah because although she came into the house when Jodie was trashing it, ⁓ apparently she looked quite agitated when she did. Laurie: Yeah, I'm the same. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: almost like she'd done or seen something that upset her. there are people saying it might be Sarah. ⁓ Other than that, I really don't know. ⁓ I think we are going to be led, there's going to be red herrings left, right and centre. We're going to be led down the garden path a thousand times before we get to the end of this. And the end of this isn't for another six to eight weeks. Laurie: Mmm. I get. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: We've already had it for six, we've already had it for 10 weeks, like two and a half months. When was this, when was the flash forward? Was it like in the middle of February? Something, yeah, middle of February sometime. I mean, for God's sake, we've already had to live through this and now we've got to live through more of it. And they're gonna have to play this really, really well to make sure that we don't just lose interest. Laurie: Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Yeah. Beyond: So let's start about ⁓ where you your resilience from ⁓ and self-acceptance. Elang: You Laurie: I think I already have like I don't that whole week dedicated to this, you who done it? And I was like, it's Theo. It's Theo. It's Theo every single day. It's Theo's dead. Theo's dead. I know what's gonna happen. And this long drawn out like, you know, who could it be for the next month and a bit? Two months, whatever it is. Yeah, I don't know. Sometimes I feel that some storylines are drawn out. Beyond Swarla: Hahaha Elang: Might I ask what you mean by self exceptions? Beyond: Well, you've said that you've accepted that this was something that happened to you and that you need to move on ⁓ move it. Beyond Swarla: You Elang: so I think I still have trouble putting under the category of abuse. Beyond Swarla: I mean, yeah. Laurie: far too much, they should have a much quicker conclusion. Some are great and you're just like, ⁓ this is brilliant. But others, ⁓ it's, yeah. Beyond: Right, okay. Elang: Yeah, yeah, can, logically, I can look at the situation and be like, okay, that was abuse. emotionally, have a hard time like, okay, that was abuse. And I went through that. Because at the end of the day, you're going to have a hard time reconciling ⁓ that, this actually happened to me. So I found myself in this situation. Beyond Swarla: So talk, so yeah, we don't know who did it. It's probably gonna be someone completely random, potentially. Each week, I suspect we're going to get a different suspect. So this week it was George, next week it's Gary. After that, it's gonna just move on, isn't it? So we're gonna have to talk about this some more in the next episodes of the podcast, unfortunately. Sorry about that. It's gonna drag on. Sorry, So. Elang: how did that happen? But at the same time, I can acknowledge I didn't have any power in this situation. Laurie: the Beyond Swarla: In the week of Motor Week, whose story were you most and least invested in? Elang: So it did happen. Beyond: Yeah, yep. Elang: I wish I had more power. I wish I had something to do about it, but I cannot change what happened. I think accepting that I cannot change, I couldn't change the situation kind of made it easier for me to be like, okay, happened. Now Now what? Laurie: Hmm. Well. It sounds like an odd thing to say because I don't really like the character of Jodie but I'm more invested in her at the moment because I want to know what her deal is. Like, I just want to know. I'm invested that way, do know what mean? I'm like, what is going on? What have you done? Like, what is your issue? What are you going to do? What's your goal in all of this? I don't quite understand what's going on with her. Beyond Swarla: ⁓ god, I want to know. Elang: Also, there's like a few things my generation will come up with that will be like, you probably shouldn't do that, but it could help you. Like for a good amount of time, everybody was saying it is what it is. And I think that kind of saved me a bit because I was like, it is what it is. It's nothing. End of story. Like period. Beyond Swarla: I couldn't believe that the whole crux of her story was that she stole a flash drive. I mean, it seems like the entire crux of her story, the entire apex of her story was that she stole a flash drive from her former employer who was a bit of a hard man and they were after her. And I'm like, is that it? Is that it? Cause it's not that interesting. I'm sorry. Elang: I think that was the beginning of... Laurie: And saying that, when she appeared in Corridale, I mean, she was in the back of Graham's hand, I don't know if we're to assume that that was supposed to be a contract killing or he was just getting her to take to those, that gang, whoever they were. But if we were to assume that he was supposed to finish her off, then what has she done that someone would want her dead, captured, whatever, tortured, whatever Graham was gonna do? it can't just be the flash drive. I mean, it could have, I don't know. Elang: change, acceptance, so many things really. And that was right around the time I decided to go get, to find another therapist which was back in like 2024 I think. So for like a good five months, I was having therapy for an hour weekly. Weekly. There was a point where I forgot about my appointment and my therapist was sick. Alang, we have a... Have you forgotten we have an appointment? I was like, oh my goodness. Oh. And I was all the way on the other side. I had to rush to get to that appointment. Beyond: Yep. Beyond Swarla: Well, you say that, think it is. think, depending on what's on it, mean, depending on what's on it, it could be very, very valuable to whoever it was, ⁓ Olivia's dad. And they wanted to finish her off because they didn't know where it was. And they thought, well, if she's dead, then at least she can't take it anywhere or do anything with it. But then, know, this is... Laurie: Hmm. Beyond: you Elang: And then from there on, my friend was like, what was that call? I was like, that was my therapist. She was like, okay, I'm going to keep, I'm going to start reminding you of this appointment now. This is my thing now. So yeah, having good, a good support system really does help. Really does help. Laurie: potentially. Beyond Swarla: I can't believe we're giving Jodie any airtime. I really don't care. I really don't care. But then, you know, then we've got this other half of her story, which is basically a magpie in the nest. Beyond: Yeah, sure. obviously this is a journey that you're going to be on for a little bit longer, I think. ⁓ about the Swala connection, obviously, because we're a podcast that's not just about Swala, we're about a lot of other things, but there is kind of a connection, I think that some ⁓ resonate. Beyond Swarla: This, ⁓ my god, this whole thing with the, ⁓ I feel a bit sick in my mouth. This whole thing about wanting David to sleep with her ⁓ pretending she was Shona. ⁓ god. Elang: Mm-hmm. Laurie: It's it's war it's so well That's the other thing is that what was so awful apart from Shona leaving the family What was so awful that made Jodie the way that she is that she will go to? Who's really sort of extremes to sort of I don't think for a second she fancies David, but she does she doesn't know no but Beyond: with people about what we saw in the storyline at the end of last year. Did any of that story resonate with you and if it did, how? Elang: Mmm. so a good chunk of the storyline was seeing how Becky ⁓ manipulating situation to her end, right? And by doing, isolating Lisa, right? I think I saw a lot of myself in that because ⁓ Beyond Swarla: ⁓ god no! Does anyone? Laurie: she was going to do that obviously she would have gone through with it to cause a massive issue. But why? It's such an awful thing to do. You see your sister settled with her husband who's got a very poorly baby in hospital and you're just like just don't... ⁓ Beyond Swarla: She is a spiteful little shit. That is basically the crux bit. ⁓ Shona left her with her abusive, I'm assuming, dad, potentially. And so that's not a nice thing to be in. You know, that's not a nice thing to be in. And then she finds out, of course, that Shona says she didn't get the letter from her, but she did. ⁓ And you know, she's hurting. Laurie: Yeah. Elang: For a good chunk of years, I think that was a good six years, I didn't have friends, I didn't do any sports, I didn't interact with anybody outside the home. It was just constantly a barrage of this person telling me ABCD every single day, every single day, to the point that I actually believed it. And it was like... Beyond Swarla: Are we really talking about this? She's hurting. She's a bit of a weirdo anyway. She's collecting keepsakes from all sorts of people. And we're not quite sure why that's all about. And she wants to, yeah, she wants Shona to be punished. Laurie: One. Elang: When I finally got to a point where I did not believe it, I was like, it's like a penny drops. then you're like, ⁓ maybe she wasn't right. And then the guilt, a lot of guilt. And you're like, but I didn't do anything. And it's like, and you also look at it, you're like. Laurie: Mm. Beyond Swarla: That's it really, I think. She just wants to make shit for Shona. She wants to make her life a misery, I think. I think that's it. whether that's true or not, I don't know. And whether we'll ever find out, I don't know. And whether I will be still watching it when we do find out, I don't know. Laurie: It's weird. Elang: but I should have recognized it as for what it was. There's so many should-haves that come with penny dropping and it's like, my goodness, am I even going to survive the should-haves? If I didn't, if I the abuse, the should-haves are surely going to take me out. ⁓ Laurie: You know, it's interesting that she's got that trophy box because it's a very, that's a serial killer trait is keeping trophies of victims. And I did think when we first saw that, I was like, brilliant, we've got a female serial killer on the street. I got really excited about it. Then it was just like, no, she's a bit of a weirdo. I was like, that's all it is really. no, yeah. I want to find, I hope they don't drag it out too much because I will lose interest. I hope we sort of get, move it along a bit more now in the next sort of few weeks. Beyond: you Elang: So I kind of understood what where the disconnect was Beyond Swarla: Hahaha Laurie: Find out what her deal is, you know. Beyond Swarla: Do we think that Sarah's actually ever going to remember what she saw before she got clunked on the head, which was the Trinket Box? Laurie: ⁓ I didn't think about that. mean, potentially. Yeah. But she's, know. Beyond Swarla: I mean, something's got to bring it to a head, right? Laurie: Yeah, maybe there's that, oh gosh, you would eat later, I remember a really odd thing that I saw before I got clonked. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: I don't know. And I also couldn't get the idea that they were so worried about Jodie because of the blood when it was literally from the cut that she got on her hand. So it can't have been a lot, but yet somehow they managed to think that she'd been kidnapped. ⁓ I don't know. Let's not talk about Jodie anymore. Let's talk, let's... Laurie: All right, move on. Beyond Swarla: So that was the one that you're most invested in, that story. Laurie: only because I just need to know what her deal is. Like I'm not invested in the character at all, but I just need to know. Because I guess what we've got, Todd, Carl, Maggie, Megan. ⁓ Todd's story in a sense is coming to an end now, isn't it? With this, know, ⁓ certainly the domestic abuse, the big storyline that he had. ⁓ So I think things on the Todd front might go a bit quiet. Like you'd hope to see him sort of like... start to rebuild a little bit, start to heal a little bit, but this is Corey, so he'll just be off screen for a few weeks now because he's had loads of screen time. Elang: it kind of like with a lot of guilt because you're like, I should have done something. I should have recognized this. I should have done this. I should have reacted this way. ⁓ And it's just an of emotions ⁓ in that moment when realize, maybe that wasn't normal. Laurie: Carl has got like nine lives, hasn't he? That guy is just, he is like the Mackenzie of Coronation Street, like Mackenzie in Emmerdale. He's just... survived death so many times and Carl is in a very similar sort of thing and I thought when that car sort of fell, you know, plant was taken away. I was like well that's him done and then sort of in the back seat as well I was like Christ he looks he looks a bit dead but of course he's fine. Elang: And the worst part about it was that I did realize it was not normal. But then I don't think I would have survived the situation if I had kept in the mentality of this is not normal. Because I had to find a way to cope with the situation. Beyond Swarla: And then he ended up flatlining as well. He ended up in cardiac arrest, didn't he? And having to have CPR. Do we think, he's fine, yeah, he's fine, he's fine. He's not out of hospital yet though, is he? But we're gonna get a redemption arc, aren't we, for Carl? ⁓ Laurie: Yep. Yep. He's fine! Elang: So was just me coping with the situation at the time and then when finally got to a point when I was recognizing, okay, I had to be like, deal the guilt before I could deal with everything else. Laurie: Yes, 100%. I was having to think about this today because I know you really don't like Carl, but there's parts of me that actually likes him when he's like being cheeky or when he was like flirting with Theo to wind him up. I thought that was brilliant. There's elements of Carl that I really like Beyond Swarla: Oh yeah, I absolutely no problem with that at all. didn't, but no, I I don't understand how you can possibly say that I don't like Carl. What do you mean? Laurie: This might change your mind because I thought about this a lot and you know there's sort of ⁓ you can identify there's a guy on TikTok who does this actually he's just like ⁓ these are the same characters in each of the soaps you've got ⁓ this person plays this person is an identical character to this person in Coronation Street. I think Carl is a male charity dingle because if you think about it she's done no I know I know right I know but hear me out because she Beyond Swarla: Right. Shut your mouth! ⁓ No, I will not. I'm not listening. No, no, no, no, no. Laurie: Listen, listen, listen. She has done some awful shit in Emmerdale. She's like done some really awful, awful things. And she's, well, she's kind of in middle of a storyline where she's done something a little bit awful. ⁓ But they gave her a bit of a redemption arc. You know, every now and again, you see that glimmer of like, ⁓ this is actually just a damaged person who's just, you know, hitting out of the, whatever, whatever, whatever. And then we've got Carl. Beyond Swarla: But I can understand why charity is damaged because look at her childhood. Laurie: Yeah, I'm not comparing trauma. no, I'm not. I'm purely on as adult characters in their soaps, all the stuff that they've done. And yet we love charity, we hate car. Yeah, I think he'll get the redemption arc and you'll be like, ⁓ actually, you know, who doesn't love a slightly evil bisexual? Do you know what I mean? Like they make everything better. Beyond Swarla: and the things that happened to her, right? And the trauma, right? Nah, not saying it. ⁓ don't talk to me about charity ⁓ my gosh we'll have to do an Emmerdale podcast at some point. ⁓ Laurie: ⁓ we can't, I'll go into a vanity spiral. I just can't. Beyond Swarla: Okay, all right, so yeah, Carlton. And then we've got Maggie and Megan. Now, Maggie had a heart attack. And, I mean, I don't like Maggie, but I was beginning to like her more when she was being blackmailed by Melanie, I have to say. Laurie: Yeah, I enjoyed that bit to see her on the back foot and see her a bit worried and a bit like, ⁓ shit, she's got me in a corner here. I did enjoy that. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: I enjoyed it, but actually the character of Melanie is so abhorrent to me that actually I started feeling sorry for Maggie. And I'm like, don't you touch her. Which is weird because I've not been a Maggie fan. ⁓ It's funny how the enemy of my enemy is my friend. When you've got an even worse character coming and just blackmailing your nemesis. ⁓ Laurie: Mmm. Yeah. Yes. Beyond Swarla: it makes you it makes you feel fondly or more fondly for that person ⁓ yeah yeah so yeah and megan i mean megan's obviously hot-footed it isn't she hasn't she and ⁓ we haven't seen or heard of her but ⁓ will is gonna run away with her to france next week apparently but we'll talk about that in spoilers Laurie: ⁓ were spoiler pictures somewhere, I won't go into it too much, ⁓ it was the ⁓ Eva and the Driscoll's at Crown Court on location somewhere, did you see that? Beyond Swarla: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That it's definitely in the future. That's coming. That's coming. I mean, at the time, there were some people, i.e. me, who said, well, it could be a massive red herring to make you think that Megan survives. But I don't think it... Now I'm not thinking... I'm thinking it probably isn't a red herring. It probably is that Megan survives and she gets arrested and she has to go to court. Laurie: Mm-hmm, yeah. Yeah. Yes, cool. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: What the outcome of that will be will be interesting, I think you've got, we'll talk about it in spoilers, but I think you've got, we'll go to the police next week. Okay. ⁓ So that's the Maggie, Megan, we've covered Jodie, covered Carl. ⁓ actually while I'm talking about Carl, there was a scene ⁓ in Carl's story where Debbie forgot Ronnie's name. Laurie: That was heartbreaking. I just, ⁓ my heart. My heart. ⁓ I can't, it's hard to watch, isn't it? It's, oof. Beyond Swarla: Ugh. She was so upset. She was so distraught and Ronnie was just such a sweetheart. And now Debbie is barely talking to him because of what happened with Carl. it's like, Carl is just at the middle, in the middle of all of this. And I don't trust him. I don't trust him with her, with you know, with her heart. I don't trust him with it. I think she's gonna, I think he's gonna break her heart again. Laurie: Hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Beyond Swarla: because I don't think it's got his in him to reform. I'm probably going to be proved wrong, I'm sure I am. If you, you and your charity dingle references. Laurie: Well, well, yeah. Beyond Swarla: Right, so, we've got, I mean, we've had police procedural crawling all over this this week, whether it's representative of real life or not, it's still been there. ⁓ And we've got other things coming up for next week, and we will go into that. But we're going to take a little break and... we are going to hear from a young lady called Alang. So Alang lives in Botswana. we honestly, we have listeners everywhere. Just before I start this, just some trigger warnings there. She talks about some physical abuse that she suffered as a child and some manipulation that she suffered as an adult and as a child. So just to warn you. We will cue the interview. ⁓