Beyond Swarla

The Podcast

Beyond Swarla is inspired by the Coronation Street pairing of Carla Connor and Lisa Swain (Swarla to its fans). Yes, it's television - and yes, it absolutely is soap - but the dynamics it portrays are very real and so are the experiences of the people watching.

We want this to feel meaningful rather than just about the fandom, so the podcast explores the real-life relationship themes that the show brings to the screen - not by blurring fiction and reality but by using fiction as a springboard to talk to real people about their own lived experiences.

It's about recognising the patterns of behaviour and the stories that many people see reflected in their own lives - and creating a safe space to talk about them openly.

Your Hosts

Caz hails from deepest darkest Middle England, although she was born and bred in London. She worked in Human Resources for 3 decades before deciding to jack it all in and become a dog walker. A total fangirl with nothing on her mind but outrageously beautiful queer women.

Leanne is a writer, most recently writing Chloe's Ark for BBC Radio 4. You'll be glad to know this drama, as well as several others, focuses on a sapphic romance, so you can imagine that Swarla are right up her street. A self confessed queer fangirl, of course Carla Connor has been on her radar forever!