The BBC has released the first full trailer for Mint, a new eight-part drama that blends crime and romance and lands on BBC iPlayer on 20 April. Its director, Charlotte Regan, is promising an offbeat take on family power and forbidden love — and the trailer makes clear this won’t be a run‑of‑the‑mill procedural.
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The teaser reveals little about plot details, but its mood — measured, eerie and slightly surreal — suggests the series will prize atmosphere over exposition. That matters now because broadcasters are increasingly betting on hybrid dramas that mix genre storytelling with distinctive visual style; Mint could be one of this spring’s most talked‑about examples.
What to expect
At the centre of Mint is **Shannon** (Emma Laird), who grows up inside a family that holds sway over her neighbourhood. She falls for **Arran** (Ben Coyle‑Larner), the newcomer from a rival clan, and their relationship sets off tensions that ripple through both households. Meanwhile the family’s patriarch, Dylan (Sam Riley), steps away from leadership for reasons the trailer keeps deliberately unclear.
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Regan — whose feature Scrapper drew praise for its intimate, unconventional approach — appears to be bringing the same sensibility to television: intimate character work framed within a stylised crime world. The result looks less like a conventional police saga and more like a mood piece about loyalty, desire and reputation.
| Series | Mint |
|---|---|
| Creator / Director | Charlotte Regan |
| Platform | BBC iPlayer (all episodes available from 6am BST, 20 April); first two episodes on BBC One at 9pm |
| Format | Eight episodes |
| Key cast | Emma Laird, Ben Coyle‑Larner, Sam Riley, Laura Fraser, Lindsay Duncan |
The marketing leans into contrasts: tender, romantic moments sit alongside menacing family dynamics. That tonal friction is central to the show’s promise — it aims to probe what love looks like when power and fear shape everyday life.
- Release timing: All episodes drop early on iPlayer on 20 April; two episodes broadcast on BBC One the same evening.
- Tone: Stylised, atmospheric, character-driven rather than plot-heavy.
- Themes: Family authority, forbidden relationships, reputation and consequence.
- Why watch: For viewers who want a crime story filtered through an artful, emotional lens.
We still lack specifics about plot mechanics — who will betray whom, and how the family’s power shift will play out — but the trailer’s restraint may be deliberate. By withholding answers, the show invites close viewing and rewards attention to performance and mise‑en‑scène rather than cliffhanger reveals.
If you’re tracking trends in prestige television, Mint is worth noting: it follows a broader appetite for series that combine genre hooks with formal ambition. Expect critics to focus on Regan’s translation from indie cinema to serial drama, and on whether the show sustains its mood across eight episodes.
For viewers planning to watch, the immediate takeaway is simple: set aside time on 20 April. The premiere strategy — two episodes on linear TV plus the full season on iPlayer — signals that the BBC hopes Mint will both generate water‑cooler conversation and reward bingeing.
Jessica Morrison is a seasoned entertainment writer with over a decade of experience covering television, film, and pop culture. After earning a degree in journalism from New York University, she worked as a freelance writer for various entertainment magazines before joining red94.net. Her expertise lies in analyzing television series, from groundbreaking dramas to light-hearted comedies, and she often provides in-depth reviews and industry insights. Outside of writing, Jessica is an avid film buff and enjoys discovering new indie movies at local festivals.