Sacha Dhawan is to star in a new BBC detective series Virdee, based on the best-selling novels of AA Dhand.
In the six-part drama for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, Dhawan plays Detective Harry Virdee, a Bradford police officer who is disowned by his Sikh family for marrying Muslim Saima.
It is an ongoing struggle for Harry to reunite with his family, and at the same time, he has been tasked with hunting down a killer who targets Asians.
When the murderer kidnaps a local MP’s daughter in Bradford and 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.
AA Dhand said:
“Like me, DCI Harry Virdee is a proud Brit who dreams big and whilst he is passionate about his heritage, it is not something which solely defines him. He refuses to be shackled by the past and believes in merging worlds, cultures and identities; no matter the cost. Hey, aim big or go home – this is Yorkshire.”
Paul Trijbits, excutive producer, said bringing the books to screen had been “a long but utterly satisfying journey”.
Virdee is adapted for the screen by AA Dhand and is a Magical Society production in association with Screen Yorkshire for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Filming is due to commence later this year in and around Bradford, with the Beeb set to announce further casting in due course.
