NEW BBC Drama filmed in Bradford set to hit screens!

Get ready for a thrilling ride as a new BBC crime drama, **Virdee**, is set to hit your screens this month! Filmed in and around Bradford, this series promises to keep you on the edge of your seat.

**Virdee** follows the gripping story of Detective Harry Virdee, a dedicated cop whose personal life is in turmoil. Despite being in a loving relationship with his wife, Saima, Harry is estranged from his family due to their disapproval of his interfaith marriage. As a turf war brews in the city’s underbelly, the police struggle to control gang rivalries spilling onto Bradford’s streets. When a young dealer is murdered, Harry’s duty to uphold the law clashes with his connections to the crime gangs. He must hunt down the killer targeting those around him. With the killer holding the entire city to ransom, Harry realizes he needs the help of his brother-in-law Riaz, a drug kingpin running the largest cartel in the county. Pulled into an alliance that could ruin them both, Harry faces a choice: save himself and his family or save his city. He cannot do both.

The series was filmed in and around Bradford last year.

Speaking about filming in West Yorkshire, Staz Nair, who plays Harry Virdee, said: “I have so many favourite locations. One of the first scenes I did on the streets of Bradford is when Harry meets a local street dealer to find out where someone is. We were in the middle of nowhere filming down an alleyway and a lovely neighbour came by and offered us some chai, it was so lovely. This woman didn’t know us! In Saima’s dad’s house, the owner cooked for us. In the Virdee house, the owner and I sat and bonded.

“Bradford was so welcoming, and everyone was so excited to be part of it and understand what was going on, so I think that really inspired us all to continually put everything into it.”

**Virdee** is based on the best-selling novels by AA Dhand, who also adapted the series for the screen.

All episodes of **Virdee** will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Monday, February 10. The first episode will air at 9pm on BBC One that evening, with episodes continuing to air weekly.

Mark your calendars and get ready for a crime thriller that will keep you hooked from start to finish!