Posted in: BBC, TV | Tagged: AA Dhand, bbc, cop thriller, Sacha Dhawan, Virdee

Virdee: BBC Taps Doctor Who Star Sacha Dhawan for BBC Cop Thriller

Sacha Dhawan (Doctor Who) will star as an angst-ridden cop in the upcoming BBC thriller Virdee, adapted by A.A. Dhand from his novels.

Doctor Who alumn Sacha Dhawan, who played The Master, will star in Virdee, a new detective series based on A.A. Dhand's best-selling crime novels. Yes, he plays the title character, an angst-ridden cop, because all British cops on TV are angst-ridden. The new six-part drama for BBC One and BBC iPlayer was announced by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, at the Edinburgh TV Festival's Spotlight on the BBC session. The series introduces Detective Harry Virdee (Sacha Dhawan), a Bradford cop disowned by his Sikh family for marrying Saima, who is Muslim. Harry struggles with the abandonment, constantly attempting to reunite with his family. With his personal life in chaos, he must hunt down a killer targeting the Asian community.

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.

Dhand shared, "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, executive producer, added, "Working with Amit to get the Harry Virdee books to the screen has been a long but utterly satisfying journey. It's no mean feat for Amit to have succeeded in adapting this love story set in such a rich and complex world and wrapping it all up in a crime series."

"I'm passionate about supporting writers at every stage in their careers, and we are thrilled to be working with Amit on his very first drama for television along with the team at Magical Society. Virdee is a powerful and gripping detective story but at its heart are two people in love and their struggle to be accepted as a couple. With Sacha in the lead role of Harry and Bradford providing the perfect backdrop, I can't wait for viewers to be captivated by this series," Salt said about the casting announcement.

Virdee is adapted for the screen by the original book author Dhand. The series will be an essential part of the activities leading up to the 2025 Bradford City of Culture. Filming will start later this year in and around Bradford, and the remaining cast will be announced in due course.

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