Crimes of PASSION

A Scottish gangster drama with a magical romantic twist

- WORDS: STEVEN PERKINS. PHOTOS: BBC

NEW DRAMA

Mint

Monday, 9pm & 9.30pm, BBC1 (box set, BBC iPlayer)

Love is a dangerous game in BBC1’s new drama Mint when the daughter of a Scottish crime family falls for a member of a rival clan.

When Shannon (Mayor of Kingstown’s Emma Laird) spots Arran (Benjamin Coyle-Larner) across the platform of a train station late at night, the two are instantly drawn together — not realising at first that there's bad blood between their respective families. Despite being warned to stay away when the truth becomes apparent, Shannon can't resist, and has to consider where her loyalties truly lie.

‘Shannon has grown up in this world of gangsters and criminals, and she’s very much the princess of the family,’ explains Laird, 27. ‘She's been wrapped in cotton wool all of her life, so it’s actually such a beautiful thing when Arran comes along, because he gives her this whole new perspective, and allows her the space to question the environment that she's in.’

Although Arran is more worldly than sheltered Shannon, the two soon discover that their different experiences of life complement each other well.