We love a good crime drama here at TVChoice - especially if you throw in a little bit of romance amidst the action. A gangster romance if you will!
Mint is an eight-part BBC series which follows naïve romantic Shannon (Emma Laird) who dreams of finding love. Her dad Dylan (Sam Riley) also happens to be the local mob boss. However, when she meets handsome stranger Aaran (Ben Coyle-Larner) at the train station she’s instantly smitten. The only problem is, he’s part of a rival gang. Despite the danger, Shannon’s determined to carry on seeing him.
Stylistically, the Scotland-set series also segues into heightened scenes of magical realism as a way of helping to convey Shannon and Aaran’s emotions while following their relationship.
Who stars in Mint?
Emma Laird as Shannon
A pampered princess and daddy’s girl who’s also immature for her age, Shannon (Emma Laird) has grown up in a world of gangsters and criminals. But her world is rocked when she meets Aaran (Ben Coyle-Larner) and she's determined to pursue a forbidden relationship.
‘Shannon has been wrapped in cotton wool all of her life,’ says Emma Laird. ‘So, it's actually such a beautiful thing when Arran comes along because he gives her this whole new perspective and starts to open her eyes and allow her the space to question the environment that she's in. Shannon goes through this amazing arc of life changes, discovery and maturity.’
Former model Emma Laird is best known for playing Iris in Mayor Of Kingstown (2021-24) while recent TV roles include Molly Giordano in War (2025) and Annabelle in The Crowded Room (2023). Her movie roles include Desdemona Holland in A Haunting In Venice (2023), Audrey in The Brutalist (2024) and Jimmima in 28 Years Later (2025), as well as in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026).
Laura Fraser as Cat
Cat (Laura Fraser) has been married to mob boss Dylan (Sam Riley) for a long time and has a loving relationship with her daughter Shannon (Emma Laird). That said, her relationship with her mother-in-law and family matriarch Ollie (Lindsay Duncan) isn’t quite as close...
‘Cat has no connection to crime in any way, other than being in denial about the fact that is where their money comes from,’ says Laura Fraser. ‘It's all about Cat’s relationship with her daughter, her relationship with her husband, how she’s being perceived by people. That's a big one for her, she’s so obsessed with how she appears and how the outsider perceives her.’
Laura Fraser’s probably best known for playing Lydia Rodarte-Quayle in Breaking Bad (2012-13) and its spin-off Better Call Saul (2017-20). Recent projects have seen her play Sally Hart in Crime (2021-22), Professor Sarah Gordon in Traces (2019-22), and DI Bea Metcalf in the first series of Patience (2025).
Sam Riley as Dylan
Dylan (Sam Riley) is the reluctant leader of his Scottish crime family who mysteriously makes a big decision to suddenly step down in favour of his second-in-command Sam (Neil Leiper). He also has some news that will stun his wife Cat (Laura Fraser), and he’s keen that his son Luke (Lewis Gribben) doesn’t get mixed up in the family business.
‘Dylan’s at a turning point in his life professionally and privately,’ says Sam Riley. ‘Cat and Dylan are following a path that is expected of them - behaving in a way that they know they ought to. I think they're very close - they’ve known each other since they were very young, but the loving aspect to their relationship is starting to come apart at the seams.’
Sam Riley made his name playing Joy Division’s lead singer Ian Crutis in Control (2007), and most of his career since has been on the big screen. He starred as Sal Paradise in the adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road (2012) and as Diaval in Maleficent (2014) and Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2019). More recently he played John Cranko in Cranko (2024), and Tom in Islands (2025).
Fun fact: Sam Riley used to be the lead singer of Leeds band 10,000 Things.
Ben Coyle-Larner as Arran
Aaran (Ben Coyle-Larner) falls for Shannon (Emma Laird) when he meets her at the local train station and asks her out on a date. But he doesn’t know that her dad Dylan (Sam Riley) heads up a rival criminal gang to his half-brother Liangelo’s (Connor Newall).
‘I guess, in a way, Aaran brings the sensitivity or the lightness; the delicateness to the story,’ says Ben Coyle-Larner. ‘The story centres around the fringes of criminal activity and for Shannon he's a love interest. That was also something that drew me to the role, it reminded me of Baz Luhrmann and Romeo and Juliet. When I was young, that was one of the characters I always wanted to play so this is it with its own spin.’
Ben Coyle-Larner is better known as hip-hop artist Loyle Carner - whose debut album Yesterday's Gone (2017) was nominated for a Mercury Prize - and Mint marks his first major acting role.
Lindsay Duncan as Ollie
Frisky grandmother Ollie is the family matriarch whose husband is in prison. She’s tough on her son Dylan (Sam Riley) and she doesn’t get on particularly well with her daughter-in-law Cat (Laura Fraser). However, she’s got a soft spot for her granddaughter Shannon (Emma Laird).
‘Ollie’s such a character,’ says Lindsay Duncan. ‘She's such a strong flavour and challenging to everyone around her and has a very healthy sexual appetite. As an older woman, I find that rather pleasing. So, there was a lot about the character that delighted me and it's been an opportunity to do something that I don't think I've done before.’
Lindsay Duncan’s come a long way since her debut in front of the cameras as Scrubba in TV movie Further Up Pompeii! (1975). Known for her stage and film work, her small screen credits include Lady Smallwood in Sherlock (2014-17), Ysabeau De Clermon in A Discovery Of Witches (2018-22), and Anvaere Damodred in The Wheel Of Time (2023). She also starred as Martha Ellison in The Morning Show (2023-25) and Doris Pennington in The Death Of Bunny Munro (2025).
Neil Leiper as Sam
Sam (Neil Leiper) takes over the criminal gang when Dylan (Sam Riley) decides to step down. However he’s got a very different style of leadership which could soon spell trouble.
Neil Leiper’s most recent roles have seen him play John Carr in Harvest (2024) and Ben in On Falling (2024)
Connor Newall as Liangelo
Liangelo (Connor Newall) is Aaran’s (Ben Coyle-Larner) half-brother, and in a rival gang that has been causing trouble for Dylan (Sam Riley).
Mint marks Connor Newall’s first TV series, although he starred as Jimmy Shite in the films 28 Years Later (2025) and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026). He’s also appeared in the Loneliness (2024) music video for the Pet Shop Boys.
Lewis Gribben as Luke
Luke (Lewis Gribben) is Shannon’s (Emma Laird) brother who’s studying at university. His father Dylan (Sam Riley) is keen to keep him away from the family crime business.
Lewis Gribben made his name as Danny in Somewhere Boy (2022), but he’s also had roles as Fraser Creggan in Shetland (2021), Simon Morton in Silent Witness (2021), as Stef in Generation Z (2024) and Younger Cameron Walker in Black Mirror (2025). Watch out for him too in Blade Runner 2099 on Amazon Prime Video which is set to air later this year.
Is Mint based on a book?
No. Writer, director and creator Charlotte Regan is a fan of gangster movies and shows, but wanted to make something that centred around the women in that world. The first character she created was Ollie (Lindsay Duncan) and the rest followed.
Where was Mint filmed?
The series was filmed in Scotland, including locations in Grangemouth – where the show’s set.
Scenes were also shot at The Centre, a shopping mall in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire.
When and where does Mint air?
Episodes air on BBC1 from Monday 20 April and all episodes of Mint will be available from 6am that day on BBC iPlayer.
A big fan of comedy, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm and W1A are guaranteed to have Nick Fiaca chuckling. He also loves a good detective drama with California PI Jim Rockford from the iconic The Rockford Files topping his list of favourite sleuths. He also boldly dips into the Star Trek universe when he feels like a new enterprise, and loves a good history series.