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Crime thriller series to showcase City of Culture

BBC Actor Staz Nair as Detective Harry Virdee, wearing a police-labelled bulletproof vest and taking a phone call.BBC
Game of Thrones actor Staz Nair plays the lead role of Detective Harry Virdee

A new BBC thriller series has been filmed in Bradford ahead of its launch as part of next year's City of Culture celebrations.

The six-part series, Virdee, is based on the novels by local author AA Dhand, and tells the story of a detective estranged from his Sikh family after marrying a Muslim woman.

Game of Thrones actor Staz Nair plays the lead role of Detective Harry Virdee.

He said: "This show leads with vulnerability more than any detective drama I’ve ever seen. It’s a privilege to be bringing AA Dhand’s hope for his city to life."

Nair is joined by Aysha Kala who plays Virdee's wife Saima and Danyal Ismail as his new partner DS Amin.

Creator, writer and executive producer Dhand praised the cast as “truly diverse”, adding that they have a "real passion for this show".

Danyal Ismail and Elizabeth Berrington as their characters in Virdee. They are both dressed in black and there is a bright light in the background.
Danyal Ismail and Elizabeth Berrington also appear in the thriller series, due for release next year

More than two thirds of the participants, tutors and consultants came from the West Yorkshire area.

Producers also partnered with Bradford Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Screen Yorkshire to create a new regional training initiative called Screen Academy Bradford.

The scheme will offer a series of training programmes for newcomers to the TV industry, and encourage more diversity in production.

A spokesperson said: "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."

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