Hot Picks: Mint

This debut TV series from writer and director Charlotte Regan (Scrapper) is a darkly comic drama that centres on a violent crime family. The daughter, Shannon (Emma Laird), takes centre stage as she desperately searches for love while navigating her family’s dangerous criminal dealings – enter love interest Arran (Ben Coyle-Larner) .

BBC Studios’ outgoing commercial director of scripted, Nick Lee, says the show stands out in the crowded crime drama space because it is a “fresh, hot take on romance within a crime drama wrapper”.

“At its heart it has a Romeo & Juliet or West Side Story dynamic. It’s an emotionally pure and familiar tale of young love surrounded by family warfare that will resonate across cultures,” he explains, adding that it’s also a “visually unique black comedy with a lot of attitude”.

“There are some really distinctive and clever visual effects in Mint that convey the emotion of the characters and the story, taking it beyond the dialogue,” Lee adds. “It almost feels like it has been inspired by the anime genre. It’s subtle but brilliant, and I have not seen this done in a mainstream live-action series before.”

Lee points to an array of fresh talent leading the series, including the debut acting role for Coyle-Larner, who is better known as musician Loyle Carner.

“The performances of Emma and Ben as our young lovers are so authentic,” he says. “You see their relationship escalate from awkward to intimate in a way that reminds me of BBC hit Normal People - although the stakes are higher for our two. There’s more on the line than just heartbreak.”

Lee adds that the wider ensemble of Laura Fraser, Sam Riley and Lindsay Duncan makes the whole package “so exciting” – while production company House is riding a wave of Oscars success with the film Conclave.

Lee says the drama also plays well to a wider industry trend of “playfulness, hope, optimistic characters and human ingenuity”.

“Romance is having a moment,” he says. “This is possibly due to the genre being under-represented on the big screen, but it’s also a cultural antidote to real-world hostilities and our tech-reliant, socially remote modernity. And balancing romance within another genre like action or crime thriller is a good way to keep audiences broad.”

Speaking generally about the types of shows BBC Studios is keen to back, Lee notes that every project “requires a bespoke positioning in the market and really frank conversations about what’s achievable and in demand under the distribution model”.

“A distinctive idea and a brilliant script still need selling hard,” he says. “BBC Studios can be a powerful partner in finding the right home for it. That kind of reach and support changes what’s possible creatively and commercially, and producers are responding to this. They appreciate the clarity and candour – and it’s the most flexible producers that are getting their shows made.”