Original gangsters

A crime lord's daughter falls for a member of a rival clan in a fresh new drama

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Gangster romance isn't a genre you see often, but that's exactly the right term for the BBC's new drama Mint.

In the series, penned by award-winning writer Charlotte Regan, Emma Laird plays Shannon, the daughter of a successful crime boss called Dylan, who falls for Arran (Ben Coyle-Larner), the son of a rival crime boss.

While Shannon is the main character, the first character Charlotte created was Shannon's grandmother Ollie, who is played by Lindsay Duncan. Breaking Bad star Laura Fraser plays Shannon's mum Cat and Maleficent actor Sam Riley stars as Dylan.

"The whole show has the backdrop and the tension of what is going on crime-wise in that world," explains Charlotte. "But at the forefront is Shannon falling in love with a boy called Arran who's part of the rival family. Cat, the mum, and the dad Dylan have fallen out of love and their marriage is coming to an end. It's all about love stories. I love romantic comedies, so I wanted to make a gangster romance."

When Lindsay agreed to play Ollie, Charlotte was delighted.