Nostalgia, heartbreak, and the songs that defined a generation—Mix Tape, now streaming on Binge, is more than a love story. It’s a deeply emotional reflection on who we were, who we became, and the music that held us together in between.
Mix Tape won the TV Spotlight Audience Award at SXSW 2025 and has received glowing praise. The Guardian called it a “sweet and intense romance,”
I sat down with stars Teresa Palmer and Jim Sturgess, and it’s clear this series isn’t just another romantic drama for them—it’s personal.
“It’s resonating with people already,” Teresa told Chattr. “Everyone’s had that first love. And this show makes you ask, what if you ran into them today?”
Two timelines, one unfinished love story
Set across 1989 Sheffield and modern-day Sydney, Mix Tape follows Alison (Palmer), a best-selling author living an outwardly picture-perfect life, and Daniel (Jim Sturgess), a music journalist grappling with the ghost of first love. When Alison’s debut novel lands in Daniel’s hands decades later, it sets off a domino of memories and unresolved emotions.
“I actually have not played a woman whose trauma manifests the way it does with Alison,” Teresa said. “There’s not a lot of crying and anger and screaming – Alison is like the silent sufferer. I thought that was quite unique to her.”
For Jim, the draw was immediate: “It was really interesting and exciting because I felt immediately connected to young Daniel. I saw a lot of my younger self in him. I just was that kid at school. I was the guy that was obsessed, in music and making mix tapes and dreaming about bands.”
Real love stories aren’t perfect
Both actors were quick to point out how Mix Tape moves beyond clichés. “I love the dynamics of the different relationships, including the current day marriages we explore, because they aren’t necessarily terrible marriages,” Teresa said. “It’s just they’re going through midlife and maybe not seeing or hearing each other the way they should be.”
Jim added: “It was actually the adult relationships that were really nuanced and interesting to me … they are in this space where they’ve raised a family and the child has left the nest and they’re left reintroducing themselves as a couple. It’s heartbreaking if you’re no longer the same people you were when you met.”
Their reflections hit a raw nerve, especially when I asked if the series stirred up memories of their first love.“ Definitely,” Teresa laughed. “My first love was also the first person I ever lived with. We played house and we had dogs together, and it was a beautiful life experience.
“Unfortunately, I broke his heart when we broke up, and I’m sure I’m dead to him. It must be hard seeing me on billboards and I’ve often thought that must be quite annoying – seeing me everywhere I’m popping up.
“You can’t help but draw on your own experience, so I was definitely thinking about him a lot during filming.”
Jim chimed in: “I did use my own life more than I ever have done to connect to my character … Everyone’s been through that kind of thing personally.”
A soundtrack for every heartbreak
The series pulses with iconic tracks from The Cure, Joy Division, and more—each one a carefully chosen heartbeat. It turns out the soundtrack was more than just aesthetic for the actors.
“Mine were very different,” Teresa admitted. “Underground rap, Enya, Tracy Chapman and Danny Rice so I was a bit all over the place. I didn’t really discover the show’s beautiful, iconic music until I was a lot older because I wasn’t quite cool in my music taste. Jim was much cooler.”
Jim nodded. “Weirdly, it was the music I was obsessed with … Growing up in England, those northern bands in the late ‘80s and ’90s were a huge part of my life. I was idolising these kinds of musicians and at 15, I started my own band because of them.”
Jim revealed that he collaborated with director Lucy Gaffy for the show’s music selection. ‘It was one of the greatest things about being involved in Mix Tape. [Lucy] really talked to me and asked me what kind of music Daniel would be listening to.”
And for fans who didn’t know — yes, Jim’s still in a band. “King Curious!” Teresa beamed. “You can find his album online.” Jim loved Teresa’s enthusiasm and promotion of his band “We should’ve worn T-shirts,” he laughed.
The youth that carried the flame
Though the show relies on two timelines, the actors had limited interaction with their younger counterparts, Florence Hunt and Rory Walton-Smith. “We had already filmed most of our stuff before they were even cast,” Teresa said. “But Lucy Gaffy was just so beautiful in the way she pieced all the pieces together. She made sure what the younger versions of us matched our energy.”
Teresa, reflecting on Alison’s evolution, added: “I created this new character of a woman who has completely stripped herself of the accent and Sheffield life and emerged into this new woman who is the Mosman wealthy wife of a doctor.”
Stream Mix Tape on Binge.
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