Virdee | Preview (BBC One)

Set and filmed entirely in Bradford and based on the best-selling novels by AA Dhand, 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.

Staz Nair (Rebel Moon, Game of Thrones) stars 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.

Plus 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.

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).

Virdee begins Monday 10th February at 9pm on BBC One.