BBC releases first look pictures of AA Dhand’s exciting new crime thriller series Virdee

Published: November 29, 2024 — The BBC has revealed new pictures for the exciting new crime thriller series Virdee which is based on the best-selling novels by AA Dhand (https://amzn.to/4i8Gm0Z).

The six-part series is adapted for the screen by AA Dhand, and is produced by Magical Society for BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

The new pictures show Staz Nair (Rebel Moon, Game of Thrones) in the lead role of Bradford-based detective, Harry Virdee. He is joined by Aysha Kala (Criminal Record, Indian Summers) who plays Harry’s wife, Saima and Vikash Bhai (Crossfire, Limbo) as Saima’s brother, Riaz. The new pictures also show Kulvinder Ghir (Foundation, Blinded By The Light) and Sudha Bhuchar (Expats, Rules of the Game) as Harry parents, Ranjit and Jyoti and Elizabeth Berrington (Good Omens, The Nevers), as Harry’s boss DS Clare Conway and Danyal Ismail (All the Lights Still Burning, The Outrun) as Harry’s new partner, DS Amin.

Set and filmed entirely in Bradford, Virdee tells the story of Detective Harry Virdee, a dedicated cop estranged from his Sikh family after marrying Saima, a Muslim woman.

A turf war is brewing in the underbelly of the city with the police losing its grip on gang rivalries as they spill out onto the streets of Bradford. When a young dealer is murdered, Harry’s duty to uphold the law clashes with his links to members of the crime gangs. With his personal life in chaos, he must hunt down whoever is targeting those around him.

Whilst the killer holds the entire city to ransom, Harry realises that he is going to need the help of his brother-in-law Riaz, a drugs kingpin who runs the largest cartel in the county. Pulled together in an alliance that could ruin them both, Harry must make a choice: save himself and his family or save his city. He will not be able to do both.

Earlier this year the BBC also announced that Nina Singh (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) will play Tara Virdee, Harry’s niece and an up and coming crime reporter and Manjinder Virk (The Arbor) will play Harry’s sister, Mandip. The Virdee cast also includes Tomi May (Justice League), Andi Jashy (Gangs of London), Hussina Raja (Look at Us), Yousef Naseer (Ackley Bridge), Akshay Kumar (Double Blind), Madiha Ansari (Home Sick), Nichola Burley (Wuthering Heights), Javed Khan (A Murder At The End of the World) and Ramon Tikaram (Brassic).

Multi award-winning composer Hans Zimmer (Interstellar, The Dark Knight) is composing the Virdee title theme with James Everingham for Bleeding Fingers and will also feature Shashwat Sachdev. Two trainees from Screen Academy Bradford are joining Bleeding Fingers to get a hands-on experience of composing for screen and to assist with the composing of the series’ score.

The city of Bradford is at the heart of both AA Dhand’s novels and the new series. Bradford is also the 2025 UK City of Culture, which will see a year-long celebration around the city and across the BBC (TV, radio, online, BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer) as the official broadcast partner of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. The release of Virdee on BBC iPlayer and BBC One will also form part of these celebrations.

Virdee (6 x 60’) is adapted for the screen by AA Dhand and directed by Mark Tonderai (Gotham, Doctor Who, Foundation), Milad Alami (Bullshit, When the Dust Settles) and Mo Ali (Hijack, Cobra). The series is executive produced by Paul Trijbits (Jane Eyre, The Casual Vacancy, Saving Mr Banks) for Magical Society, AA Dhand, and Jo McClellan for the BBC. Stella Nwimo (Gangs of London) and Himesh Kar (Murder Manual) serve as the producers. Virdee is a Magical Society production for BBC iPlayer and BBC One in association with Screen Yorkshire. Cineflix Rights is the exclusive worldwide distribution partner outside of the UK.

The show makers have also partnered with Bradford Council, WYCA, Screen Yorkshire and the BBC to create Screen Academy Bradford, which offers a series of specific training programmes and employment pathways for new entrants, industry transfer and ‘step-up’ candidates, fostering diversity across all departments of TV production. More than two thirds of the participants, tutors, consultants came from the West Yorkshire area, ensuring authentic storytelling and strong local representation. By investing in regional talent, Screen Academy Bradford not only supports the creative community in West Yorkshire but also ensures that the stories told on screen resonate with, and reflect the richness of the communities from which they emerge.