The BBC has announced casting on Virdee…
The six-part crime thriller is based on AA Dhand’s novels is currently filming in Bradford. Staz Nair will lead the cast as Detective Harry Virdee, with Aysha Kala as Saima Virdee, Harry’s wife.
Virdee creator, writer and executive producer AA Dhand:
“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.”
Set in the Yorkshire city of Bradford, Virdee follows Detective Harry Virdee (Staz Nair), a cop disowned by his Sikh family for marrying Saima (Aysha Kala), who is Muslim. Harry struggles with the abandonment and now with his young son, Aaron, growing up and asking questions, thinks it might be time to attempt to reunite with his family. His personal life in chaos, he must now hunt down a serial killer targeting the Asian community.
When the murderer kidnaps a local police chief’s son 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.
Elizabeth Berrington also joins the cast as DS Clare Conway and Danyal Ismail will play DS Amin. The Virdee cast also includes Tomi May, Andi Jashy, Hussina Raja, Ashkay Kumar, Madiha Ansari, Jason Patel, Conor Lowson Rupert Procter.
Nina Singh plays Tara Virdee, Harry’s niece and a keen crime reporter, with Vikash Bhai as Harry’s brother-in-law Riaz Hyatt. Kulvinder Ghir and Sudha Bhuchar will play Harry Virdee’s parents, Ranjit and Jyoti.
Staz Nair:
“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. 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.”
