Opinion: ‘Why Do You Have to Put Yourself in Danger?’: In Defence of Betsy Swain

Betsy has had a lot on her plate (Credit: ITV)

‘Too many nice characters’ is a complaint I’ve seen floating around about Coronation Street quite a bit in recent times. Whereas I don’t necessarily agree with that statement, I do think viewers are far too quick to dismiss any characters who don’t immediately fit into the ‘nice’ box. Despite the fact many iconic past characters have been the type to throw drinks or fight in the middle of the street, fans often seem quick to dismiss anyone they deem too brash, too gobby, too annoying.

Betsy Swain is, in my opinion, exactly the kind of character we need on the cobbles. She is brash, she doesn’t shy away from saying what she’s thinking, and she’s gobby. She has plenty in common with characters who’ve been well received and revered over the years, while still feeling like a new and unique character. The main difference? She’s a teenager, so she’s immediately slapped by many with the ‘brat’ label.

Of course, it would be a lie to claim that there isn’t a bratty teenager element to her, but it goes so much deeper than that. We were introduced to a young girl trying desperately to get her mother’s attention, by any means necessary.

There's clearly a lot of pain underneath Betsy's 'bratty' exterior (Credit: ITV)

Betsy Swain: A misunderstood teenager

When Becky died, Betsy would have been thirteen. Losing a parent at any age is inexplicably hard - but as a young teen, losing a mother in such a way would have been devastating. We’ve seen more in recent weeks about how this affected her and her relationship with Lisa. Is it any surprise that, fearing she’ll lose her other mum in the same way, she’s acting out? Her living parent does the same job that killed her mum, why wouldn’t she be terrified of losing her in the same way?

Do you like Betsy Swain on Corrie?

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The way I see it, Betsy is a child who wants to come first; wants to be chosen over her mum’s job, and she’s vying for attention in all the wrong ways. Attempting to manipulate Joel into giving her money was her way of trying to take control of a situation. She saw a man trying to manipulate her friend, and thought she could handle this. She was raised by two police officers, and thought she could handle herself. She couldn’t.

Or maybe putting herself in danger was always the goal. If she’s in danger, if she’s causing trouble, then maybe Lisa has to stop focusing on work for five minutes to pay attention to her. It’s evident she doesn’t always get it right, but at the end of the day, Betsy is a child who just wants to make sure she still has a parent around to love her.

A bright future ahead (Credit: ITV)

'A breath of fresh air' in Weatherfield

In my opinion, she’s fit perfectly onto the cobbles. Carla clearly sees plenty of herself in Betsy, and she’s already proven to be good at rubbing the other factory workers up the wrong way too. She’s very much the kind of character who could get under other characters’ skins, and there aren’t really any others like her at the moment. Comparisons could be made with Lauren, but motherhood is going to force her to mature quickly - something Betsy isn’t likely to do anytime soon.

The dynamic between the Swains is very welcome, and I truly believe the family of two are the perfect addition to Corrie. They’ve fit in seamlessly, and the clear love yet constant frustration between Lisa and Betsy is very realistic of a working mother/teenage daughter bond. It’s clear how much Vicky and Sydney love working together, and how much love they both have for the characters they are playing. Lisa Swain is getting a lot of much deserved love and recognition, Betsy deserves just as much. Both characters are a breath of fresh air, and I hope we have them on Coronation Street for many years to come.