Virdee spoilers won't be found in this review.
The BBC's new crime drama Virdee, set and filmed in Bradford, starts like any typical detective thriller. A lone cop chases a suspect through grimy streets as bystanders look on. A helicopter even appears, but only our protagonist has the strength and skill to keep up.
It's an impressive, kinetic opening, shot via long takes that still feel grounded in reality. Yet that alone isn't especially groundbreaking. It's what comes next that sets Virdee apart – when we come to realise just how integral South Asian culture is to this story.
As we get to know Virdee, viewers discover that his Sikh father essentially disowned him after Harry decided to raise a family with a Muslim woman named Saima. It doesn't matter to Ranjit that she's the love of Harry's life, or that she's a kind, decent woman who makes his child happy.
In Ranjit's eyes, it would almost be better if Saima, Harry, and the child they're raising didn't exist at all. At least there wouldn't be any shame.
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With this rejection comes a great deal of shame for Harry too, not to mention resentment, and even rage, which all comes to a head when he reaches out to reunite his two families during Diwali.
Without spoiling what happens, episode one ends on a painful note that further sets it apart from other detective shows of its ilk.
The case in question is just as fascinating. A serial killer is targeting the Asian community in Bradford, and seems to have it in specifically for Virdee. As the city is held to ransom, Harry is forced to go against the grain and seek the help of his brother-in-law, a successful drug kingpin named Riaz.
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Just as Virdee strives to balance his marriage and his role as a father with the demands of full-time detective work in a moment of crisis, the series itself also juggles a range of genres.
There's that aforementioned drama, which would be effective even without the thriller elements you'd expect to find in a detective show like this. And on top of that, horror also creeps in as the murderer uses gruesome, Saw-esque tactics to punish his victims and Harry.
Said victims are always Asian, another important plot point that ties into the show's wider themes. Because this culturally-specific lens is core to Virdee's identity, be it the festive celebrations at hand, the various languages being spoken, or even just the visibility that a South Asian protagonist brings to this genre that's still largely dominated by white actors (and white men especially).
Asian communities represent 9.3% of the British population, yet you wouldn't know that just from watching TV. Aside from a few exceptions like Unforgotten and DI Ray, detective shows rarely reflect the reality of this country, and that's still true even now in 2025 at a point where what we watch should be far more inclusive.
Cultural specificity alone doesn't make for a good show of course. But where Virdee succeeds is in how it prioritises this authenticity without losing sight of the characters themselves, grounding their world in universal emotions that anyone can relate to.
Lead actor Staz Nair is key to this. While Doctor Who's Sacha Dhawan was originally set to play Harry before scheduling conflicts forced him to withdraw, it's hard to imagine anyone but Nair in the role at this point.
For his first leading part Nair is quite literally worlds away from the likes of Rebel Moon and Game of Thrones, where he first made his name, but he fits in Bradford just as well as he did in Tarak or Westeros. In fact, Nair is the best he's been here, bringing some much needed light and warmth to what could have been just another stoic detective story.
Don't get us wrong; Harry is world-weary at points too, as these detectives so often are. But Nair is just as good at nailing the family dynamics, good and bad, as he is tackling the serious nature of the case at hand.
His chemistry with Aysha Kala — who's just as impressive — roots this story in ways that will almost have you fast-forwarding the action in favour of more family drama.
A few aspects of the murder narrative can feel a little cartoonish or derivative at points, and some characters are definitely fleshed out better than others, but these are minor quibbles. At its best, Virdee reminds us why we enjoy detective shows in the first place while proving that cultural specificity doesn't come at the expense of universal appeal.
Let's just hope the BBC commissions AA Dhand (who wrote the script based on his own books) to draw on more of his source material for a second season. Virdee is anything but your typical detective thriller, and British TV would be a lot better off with more shows like it.
Virdee is on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer from tonight, 10 Feb, at 9pm
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
