Bradford to host premiere of crime drama filmed in city

A new BBC crime drama will have its premiere in Bradford during the City of Culture year.

Virdee tells the story of a police detective who has become estranged from his Sikh family after marrying a Muslim woman.

Harry Virdee, played by Staz Nair, then has to get to grips with gang rivalries that spill out onto the streets of Bradford.

The series is based on the novels of A A Dhand, who said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to write and produce this series set in my home town of Bradford.”

Scenes for the drama were filmed across the Bradford district, where Dhand grew up. He worked as a pharmacist before writing his first book.

He added: “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 BBC Yorkshire, said: “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.”

Bradford, which is the City of Culture for 2025, kicked off proceedings on Friday with its first event at Centenary Square.

The premiere is on 6 February at St George’s Hall. Tickets will be allocated by random draw, with 80% reserved for Bradford and West Yorkshire postcodes.

Registration is now open on the BBC Shows and Tours website.

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