For people named Virdee, see Virdee (surname).
Virdee
GenreCrime thriller
Based onCity of Sinners
by A A Dhand
ScreenplayA A Dhand
Starring
Theme music composer
ComposerJames Everingham
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Num series1
Num episodes6
Executive producer
  • Paul Trijbits
  • A A Dhand
Producer
  • Stella Nwimo
  • Himesh Kar
CompanyMagical Society
NetworkBBC One
First aired10 February 2025
Last aired17 March 2025

Virdee is a six-part British crime thriller television series that is adapted by A A Dhand from his Bradford-set crime novel series. It stars Staz Nair and was produced by Magical Society for BBC One. The series premiered on 10 February 2025. It was cancelled after one series.[1]

Synopsis

Harry Virdee is a detective hunting down a killer targeting the Asian community in Bradford. Meanwhile, his Sikh family are dismayed at his decision to marry Saima, who is Muslim.[2]

Cast and characters

  • Staz Nair as DCI Harry Virdee
  • Aysha Kala as Saima Hyatt-Virdee
  • Nina Singh as Tara Virdee
  • Manjinder Virk as Mandip Virdee
  • Vikash Bhai as Riaz Hyatt
  • Kulvinder Ghir as Ranjit Virdee
  • Sudha Buchar as Jyoti Virdee
  • Elizabeth Berrington as DSup Clare Conway
  • Danyal Ismail as DS Amin
  • Tomi May as Enzo Tobin
  • Andi Jashy as Vasil Shala
  • Ramon Tikaram as Jai Pawa
  • Nichola Burley as Sophie Brodenham
  • Tobias Jowett as Young Harry Virdee
  • Jack Archer as Alastair Boardman
  • Silas Carson as Jonathan Boardman
  • Hussina Raja as Nadia Ansari
  • Connor Horrigan as Viktor
  • Madiha Ansari as Fatima Farooqi
  • Charlie Mann as Paul King
  • Jason Patel as Pervez Sheikh
  • Conor Lowson as Xavier Stead
  • Rupert Procter as Bertie

Production

Based on the character from the A A Dhand crime novels, which debuted in 2016 with Streets of Darkness, which in September 2023 was reported to be the novel being adapted into a six-part television series.[3] However, later reports suggested it is actually the third novel, City of Sinners, which Dhand himself adapted for television.[4]

Executive producer is Paul Trijbits for Magical Society, AA Dhand, and Jo McClellan for BBC.[5] The series producer is Stella Nwimo and the series was co-produced by Gareth Coulam Evans, Callum Dodgson and Sylvie Richards. The series was scored by James Everingham, with the main theme composed by Everingham and Hans Zimmer and featuring Indian composer Shashwat Sachdev.[6]

Casting

In August 2023, Sacha Dhawan was cast in the lead role.[7] In February 2024, he was replaced in the role by Staz Nair.[8]

Filming

Filming commenced in February 2024 in Bradford. Bradford is the 2025 UK City Of Culture and various iconic landmarks feature in the series.[9][10][11]

Broadcast

A premiere of the series was held at St George's Hall, Bradford on 6 February 2025 at a red carpet event, attended by Dhand, Nair, Kala, Bhai, and Ismeal, among others.[12][13] The six-part series was shown in the UK on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 10 February 2025.[13][14]

The series was shown in Australia on SBS Television and streaming service SBS on Demand weekly from 27 March 2025.[15]

Soundtrack

Hans Zimmer and James Everingham composed the Virdee title theme and series score, featuring Shashwat Sachdev. Trainees from Screen Academy Bradford joined the scoring process to get a hands-on experience of composing for screen.[16]

Reception

Lucy Mangan in The Guardian praised the "satisfying plot" and the charisma of Nair as Virdee and "Dhand’s great talent for finding the emotionally universal in the culturally specific."[17] Carol Midgely in The Times enjoyed the "strong" and "powerful” portrayal of the family dynamics in the series but cautioned viewers against the "barbarity" of the violence.[18] Chris Bennison for The Telegraph favoured "the gentler domestic scenes" describing Kulvinder Ghir, as Virdee’s disapproving father, as "quietly impressive", and compared Nair to "Daniel Craig-era Bond" but for all the "vignettes that fascinate – the gangs specifically recruiting young South Asian women to deal drugs because the politically aware Bradford police don’t dare stop and search them" felt that "they get buried" by "crime-thriller tropes".[19]

References

  1. ^ Moss, Molly. "BBC thanks cast and crew of acclaimed crime drama after series axed | Radio Times". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  2. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (25 August 2023). "Happy Valley' Creator Sally Wainwright, Jenna Coleman, Nicôle Lecky, Sacha Dhawan Series Set at BBC". Variety. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  3. ^ Barnett, David (2 September 2023). "'He's my own Dark Knight': TV's new sleuth, invented by a Bradford pharmacist". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  4. ^ Roy, Amit (4 October 2023). "Asian author AA Dhand's crime detective series gets BBC treatment". Easterneye.biz
  5. ^ Jacob, Liana (24 August 2023). "New Yorkshire crime drama based on best selling books written by AA Dhand will be filmed in Bradford and will be a key part of activities leading up to 2025 Bradford City of Culture". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Hans Zimmer seeks composing trainee for BBC drama Virdee". Televisual. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  7. ^ McCormack, Sebastien (25 August 2023). "BBC announce two new dramas Hot Flush and Virdee set and filmed in Yorkshire". Examiner live. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  8. ^ Sayce, Rebecca (29 February 2024). "BBC announces new northern-set crime drama fronted by Game of Thrones star". Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Virdee Series". Becoming The Muse. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  10. ^ "Filming begins in Bradford on detective drama Virdee". The Knowledge. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  11. ^ Bennett, Rowan (22 February 2024). "BBC series Virdee seen filming in City Hall, Bradford". Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  12. ^ Laver, Adam (16 January 2025). "Crime drama shot in Bradford to have city premiere". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  13. ^ Filipa Justino & Freya Ingram (10 February 2025). "BBC thriller series Virdee, premieres on the red carpet in Bradford". Yorkshire Bylines. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  14. ^ "Doctor Who star Sacha Dhawan cast in new BBC crime drama Virdee". Radio Times. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  15. ^ Mathieson, Craig (19 March 2025). "Virdee TV series review: British crime drama will leave you exhausted and disorientated". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived 19 March 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  16. ^ "'Rebel Moon's Staz Nair Replaces Sacha Dhawan In BBC Crime Thriller 'Virdee'". Deadline. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  17. ^ Mangan, Lucy (10 Feb 2025). "Virdee review – tremendous, tantalising, action-packed fun". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 Feb 2025.
  18. ^ Midgely, Carol (10 Feb 2025). "Virdee review — Bradford has never been so atmospheric … or so violent". The Times. Retrieved 11 Feb 2025.
  19. ^ Bennison, Chris (10 February 2025). "Virdee, review: this clichéd crime drama could have been much more". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 February 2025.