Becky Swain (Amy Cudden), long thought to be dead, made a dramatic return to Coronation Street, delivering a jaw-dropping revelation to her ex-wife DS Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers), their daughter Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin), and Lisa’s new fiancée, Carla Connor (Alison King).
Lisa was utterly stunned by the news, having spent the past four years grieving Becky’s death alongside their daughter.
Becky explained her prolonged absence, revealing that she had been working undercover in a criminal gang to take them down from within. When her cover was blown, both her life and her family’s were put in serious danger, leaving her no choice but to fake her death and go into hiding in Spain.
Understandably, Lisa was furious not only for the risk Becky had placed on their lives, but also for the emotional turmoil caused by pretending to be dead, forcing both Lisa and Betsy through years of unimaginable heartbreak.
Although Lisa had initially decided to keep the truth from Betsy, her plan quickly unraveled when an encounter between Betsy and Ryan Connor (Ryan Prescott) forced Becky to reveal herself.
With Becky now back in Weatherfield, tensions quickly rose between her and Carla, who understandably felt uneasy about the sudden return of her fiancée’s ex-wife.
Becky initially teamed up with Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) to navigate the chaos, but their scheming was cut short when the shady DI Costello (Daon Broni) interfered, luring Kit away with the promise of a promotion.
It was DI Costello who originally conspired with Becky to orchestrate her disappearance, identifying a body as hers so she could safely leave the country. Now that Becky has returned, Costello is completely rattled and desperate to see her leave Weatherfield.
With Carla set to be away in Ireland next week, having expressed concerns about leaving Lisa alone with her ex-wife, we asked Amy Cudden, who plays Becky, whether Carla has reason to feel threatened.
Amy explained: “If you combine Lisa’s enduring love for Becky it’s still very much there with Becky’s obsessive drive to be with her family, it’s like a primal life force. She has to be with them. So yes, Becky is a threat, but the person being threatened is Carla Connor! She’s one of the toughest women around.
“What that creates is some really, really fun tension two determined women fighting over the same love. So yes, Becky is a threat, but it’s coming at someone extremely resilient and extremely tough.”
Tensions between Lisa and Becky begin to ease when Betsy convinces them to model some of her designs for a college project. As the trio share a fun, bonding moment, Betsy records it and uploads the video to social media much to Becky’s horror at the thought of people discovering she’s back.
Amy Cudden, who plays Becky, explains: “One of Becky’s strategies to soften Lisa and reintegrate herself into the family is to make them laugh. She clowns around, brings playfulness to the relationship, and encourages moments of joy.
“During these moments, everyone lets their guard down and they all have a really good laugh together and Betsy, innocently, takes a video. It does put Becky in a bit of danger, but she’s not above slightly manipulating her daughter into thinking the situation is more serious than it really is.”
Amy Cudden, who plays Becky, explained the fallout from the viral video:
“*I don’t think it’s great that Becky’s image is out there it compromises her but it’s also weirdly useful. She can play on Betsy and Lisa’s guilt a bit. Becky’s default is to manipulate the people around her; she always plays the room she’s in.
“And if there’s a sense that people feel guilty for putting her in this position, she’ll take advantage of that to some extent.*”
The tension escalates when DI Costello calls Becky, demanding she leave immediately. She tells him to back off, but it’s clear she’s rattled by the threat.
Things intensify when Costello has Betsy arrested for damaging a police car, resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.
‘She’s obviously concerned; she doesn’t want her daughter to be in trouble. But I think, also, Becky’s been living outside of the law for four years now, she’s been away in Alicante, I don’t think she is troubled by what she might have to do to help her daughter out.
So, I think, in a way, I’d say Lisa is very rules oriented, Becky less so. Becky’s immediate go-to is, ‘What can I do to get my daughter out of this situation?’
Amy Cudden, who plays Becky, revealed her character’s mindset regarding Betsy’s predicament:
“Becky is genuinely concerned about what her daughter is going through emotionally, but she also knows she might be able to do something to help.”
When Becky confronts DI Costello, he makes his ultimatum clear: go back to Spain, or he’ll make things worse for Betsy. Amy explained Becky’s internal struggle:
“There’s a small, quiet voice in Becky’s head saying, ‘Maybe you have to step away and leave your family to get on without you,’ but she’s working hard to ignore it. She thinks, ‘Okay, I might be putting them in danger, but I can also fix it.’ She has this grandiose belief that whatever trouble she causes, she can solve it, because they’re her family.”
The big question remains: Will Becky disappear again to protect her daughter? And if she doesn’t, what lengths is DI Costello truly capable of? Either way, it’s clear that trouble is brewing on Coronation Street.