Virdee is a new BBC1 detective thriller which sees Game of Thrones’ star Staz Nair play a cop struggling to stay on the right side of the law. The crime drama, which is based on the novels by AA Dhand, boasts a theme song by the legendary world famous composer Hans Zimmer.
The six-part series is set in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and follows detective Harry Virdee as he looks to reconnect with his Sikh family, who have disowned him for marrying a Muslim girl. With his personal life in turmoil, he is also tasked with catching a serial killer who is targeting the Asian community in the UK city of Bradford. And when Harry is pulled into an uncomfortable alliance with a notorious drugs kingpin in order to snare the murderer, he must choose between saving himself and his family or saving his city.
“It’s an absolute honour to be taking on this vibrant and complex story about assimilating culture and what we’re willing to do to protect who and what we love,” says Staz. “This show leads with vulnerability more than any detective drama I’ve ever seen, and it’s a privilege to be bringing AA Dhand’s hope for his city to life.”
Here's everything you need to know about the BBC1 series Virdee…
Virdee release date
Virdee is a six-part crime drama that started on BBC1 on Monday, February 10 2025 at 9 pm. Further episodes play out weekly on Mondays at 9 pm on BBC1.
All six episodes are available on BBCiPlayer now. When a US channel and release date is announced, we’ll let you know here.
How to watch Virdee online from anywhere
Is there a trailer for Virdee?
Yep there's now a trailer for Virdee and as you can see below, it very much has a Luther vibe about it. Well we think so anyway! Take a look here...
Virdee plot
When Detective Harry Virdee married his Muslim wife Saima (played by Aysha Kala), his Sikh family disowned him. Now, struggling with abandonment and with his young son Aaron starting to ask questions, he decides it’s time to rebuild bridges with them. At the same time, Harry is called upon to catch a serial killer preying on the Asian community. And when the murderer kidnaps a local police chief’s son, Harry is forced to turn to his brother-in-law, a drug lord who runs the largest cartel in the country, for help. But doing so could destroy them both.
Virdee cast — Staz Nair on playing Detective Harry Virdee
Staz Nair plays troubled cop Harry Virdee, having replaced the original actor Sacha Dhawan.
Staz says: "The show is a beautiful blend of genres. There’s a powerful family aspect, a gang underworld that’s filled with gangland politics and a serial killer who’s attacking the Asian community, while holding Bradford to ransom!
‘People have compared the show to Luther, which is a wonderful compliment. But Harry is a different sort of hero. Empathy is his superpower and his curse, he feels everything!"
Harry has been disowned by his Sikh family for marrying a Muslim, Saima (Aysha Kala), with whom he has a young son, and his father Ranjit (Kulvinder Ghir) says he’s no longer welcome in his house.
"Saima is Harry’s safe space and his rock,’ says Staz. ‘But as his child gets older this feeling of displacement starts to surface. There’s a powerful scene between Harry and his father in the first episode and filming it was tough, yet cathartic."
* Staz Nair previously played Qhono, Daenerys Targaryen’s bodyguard, in Game of Thrones and has also starred in Supergirl, Humans, Lady Parts and Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire.
Who else is starring in Virdee?
Other stars of Virdee are Aysha Kala (Criminal Record) who plays Harry’s wife Saima. while Nina Singh is his niece and Vikash Bhai is his brother-in-law Riaz Hyatt.
Danyal Ismail and Elizabeth Berrington (Waterloo Road) play DS Amin and DS Clare Conway. Kulvinder Ghir plays Harry's father Ranjit and Sudha Bhuchar is his mother Jyoti.
Tomi May, Hussina Raja, Ashkay Kumar, Madiha Ansari, Jason Patel, Conor Lowson and Rupert Procter also star.
Filming news, locations and behind the scenes on Virdee
Virdee is set and was filmed entirely in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in early 2024. The six-part series is adapted for the screen by author AA Dhand and is produced by Magical Society for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. It's directed by Mark Tonderai (Doctor Who, Foundation). The series is executive produced by Paul Trijbits (Jane Eyre, The Casual Vacancy, Saving Mr Banks) for Magical Society, plus AA Dhand, and Jo McClellan for the BBC. Virdee is a Magical Society production for BBC One and BBC iPlayer in association with Screen Yorkshire. Cineflix Rights is the exclusive worldwide distribution partner outside of the UK.
Hans Zimmer is composing the Virdee title theme, with the series score by Zimmer, James Everingham for Bleeding Fingers. It will also feature Shashwat Sachdev and trainees from Screen Academy Bradford.
Virdee creator, writer and executive producer AA Dhand says: “A truly diverse cast, with an abundance of talent but most importantly, real passion for this show. Staz Nair brings Harry Virdee authentically to life not only with a real physical presence but also an emotional depth that instantly resonated with us all.”
Executive Producer for Magical Society, Paul Trijbits says: “From the moment we acquired the rights to Amit’s book, we set out on a long journey with the highest hopes and ambitions of what an adaptation of his series of Harry Virdee books could deliver. A first mainstream British Asian-led, returning crime series for BBC One, set in the immensely culturally diverse city of Bradford with a fascinating and deeply complex hero at its heart. Amit, who knows, lives and breathes Harry Virdee’s world has brilliantly adapted his books delivering a world that is both authentic and heightened.”
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
