Mint on BBC One: Plot, cast, and start date of 'unconventional crime drama' about 'forbidden romance'
It's a modern day Romeo + Juliet
Mint on BBC One is a drama with a difference – a romantic love story set against a backdrop of a dangerous crime family.
Just when you think you’re about the get a grisly murder, it becomes a romance instead. And instead of bullets being thrown, there’s magic realism. It’s quite unlike anything you’ve ever seen on TV before. Think Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet on the small screen.
The unconventional crime drama is about “soaring romance” and “crushing heartbreak”, following “three women’s love stories”.
Here’s everything you need to know about BBC One’s new drama Mint, including plot, cast, start date, and filming locations.
What is Mint on BBC One about?
Mint is part crime drama, part romance. At its heart is Shannon, the daughter of a dominant crime family, who is desperately searching for romance in the shadow of her father, Dylan. But how do you find love when everyone outside of your family is terrified of you?
A synopsis for the series tells us: “We’ll experience the obsession of first love as Shannon falls hard for Arran, a member of a rival crime family who has newly arrived in town. Their love story presents an undeniable connection that changes both of their lives for good, but not everyone in their lives sees it the same way.”
However, while Shannon and Arran navigate their “forbidden romance”, things begin imploding for Shannon’s family. As her dad Dylan decides to step down as the head of the family for mysterious reasons, Dylan’s second in command Sam steps up to take over… But his “diverging tactics” start to raise alarm.
How many episodes is Mint?
Mint on BBC One is eight episodes of 30 minutes each.
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Charlotte Regan created, wrote, directed and executive produced the eight-part series. She previously directed episodes of The Responder, and The Buccaneers, as well as the 2023 Harris Dickinson film Scrapper. Before that, she made her name directing music videos.
When’s the next episode of Mint on BBC One?
All episodes of Mint will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Monday, April 20, 2026. The first two episodes will air on BBC One from 9pm that night.
- Episodes 3 and 4 air on Monday, April 27, 2026 at 9pm and 9.30pm on BBC One.
- Episode 5 and 6 air on Monday, May 04, 2026 at 9pm and 9.30pm on BBC One.
- And the final two episodes go out on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 9pm and 9.30pm on BBC One.
Cast and crew filmed Mint for BBC One in and around Glasgow last year.
Emma Laird and Ben Coyle-Larner play Shannon and Arran
Emma Laird stars as Shannon Evans in the cast of BBC One crime drama Mint. The Chesterfield-born actress, 27, recently put in a truly terrifying performance as the psychotic and bloodthirsty Jimmima in the horror film 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. She’s also appeared in the films The Brutalist, Fackham Hall, and A Haunting in Venice.
Between 2021 and 2024, the actress played Iris in the crime drama Mayor of Kingstown.
Acting newcomer Ben Coyle-Larner, who is better known as musician Loyle Carner, plays Arran Denson. An English hip-hop musician, he released his debut album Yesterday’s Gone in 2017, which was nominated for the 2017 Mercury Prize. He released his second album, Not Waving, but Drowning, in April 2019. His third album, Hugo, came in October 2022.
London-born Ben, 31, has even headlined Glastonbury, and continues to perform his music across the world.
Who else is in the cast?
Sam Riley also stars in the unconventional crime drama playing crime boss Dylan Evans. The Yorkshire-born actor, 46, is perhaps best known for playing Ian Curtis in the biographical film Control, and Sal Paradise in the 2012 adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel On the Road. He also portrayed Diaval in the 2014 film Maleficent. On TV, he’s known for his roles in SS-GB, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Scottish actress Laura Fraser, 50, stars as Cat Evans. Breaking Bad fans will know her as Lydia Rodarte-Quayle in the crime drama series, a role she played between 2012 and 2013. She reprised the role in its spin-off Better Call Saul from 2017 to 2020. On UK TV, she’s led he cast in Traces, Patience, Crime, The Pact, The Loch, and The Missing.
Edinburgh-born Lindsay Duncan, 75, plays gangster granny Ollie. A veteran of TV, theatre, and film, she is known for her roles in Rome, Truelove, A Discovery of Witches, and The Honourable Woman.
Lewis Gribben stars as Shannon’s brother Luke Evans, who wants no part in the family business. The Glasgow-born actor, 26, has played Danny in Somewhere Boy, Fraser Creggan in Shetland, and Stef in Generation Z.
Shetland and Ripper Street’s Clive Russell stars as Ollie’s imprisoned husband Andy.
Read more: The 15 best BBC dramas to stream on BBC iPlayer right now
