Premiere in Bradford for BBC crime thriller Virdee

Fans of author AA Dhand’s novels are in with a chance to attend the Bradford premiere of the eagerly anticipated new BBC crime thriller Virdee.

Set and filmed in Bradford, Virdee tells the story of Detective Harry Virdee (Staz Nair), a dedicated cop estranged from his Sikh family after marrying Saima (Aysha Kala), a Muslim woman. A turf war is brewing, with the police losing their 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 is going to need the help of his brother-in-law Riaz (Vikash Bhai), 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.

AA Dhand adapted the six-part series, based on his best-selling novels, for the screen. He will be among those attending the exclusive screening on Thursday 6th February along with key cast including Staz Nair, Aysha Kala, Vikash Bhai and Danyal Ismail. The preview of the first episode will be followed by a Q&A session hosted by BBC Radio Leeds presenter Rima Ahmed.

AA Dhand says: “I’m thrilled to bring Virdee to screen. It has been an honour and a privilege to write and produce this series set in my home town of Bradford. I have always believed that the city is perfect for an elevated TV series, one which showcases its history, grandeur and diversity and I feel that we have created something very special and unique.

“I have put my heart and soul into making this show and hope that this is the start of a very fruitful year for Bradford, especially with it being the 2025 UK City of Culture.”

Katrina Bunker, Head of the BBC in Yorkshire, says: “We’re really proud to have another big BBC drama that has been made in Yorkshire. Virdee is an exciting, ambitious and thrilling story – and the timing of the release couldn’t be better with this being such a big year in the spotlight for Bradford.

“It’s especially brilliant that so many of the team who worked on the drama were recruited from local communities – great opportunities for local talent and also helping ensure that our content is genuinely authentic and representative.”

Television shows like Virdee demonstrate the BBC's Across the UK strategy, moving creative spend and decision-making to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the country and ensure every household receives value from the BBC.

The city of Bradford is at the heart of both AA Dhand’s novels and the new series. Bradford is 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.

The BBC is putting on this event especially for audiences in and around the city to celebrate this slice of homegrown drama. To apply for tickets to attend the free event at St George’s Hall in Bradford, go to the BBC Shows and Tours website.

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.

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. From the cohort of the Screen Academy Bradford programme two shadow composers are joining Bleeding Fingers to get a hands-on experience of composing for screen and to participate in the creation of the series’ score.

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 and 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.