A detective with a complex personal life and a challenging community to contend with might sound like the typical protagonist of any crime drama, but DCI Harry Virdee, the titular character of six-part British series Virdee, is anything but. With a name stemming from the Punjabi word for “brave” and a moral compass that won’t be shaken, even by the limits of the law, Virdee is a man determined to protect his family and his community, but can he do both?
The series, adapted from the third book in crime author Amit Dhand’s City of Sinners collection, is set in the working-class city of Bradford in West Yorkshire, and joins Detective Virdee (Game of Thrones’ Staz Nair) at a point in his life where the lines between the personal and the professional are becoming increasingly blurred. Bradford might seem a far cry from fast-paced London-adjacent settings of many crime dramas, but it’s a no less troubled town with a dark underbelly, where alliances run deep. It’s also a city defined by cultural diversity, with a large South Asian community, and whilst Virdee is first and foremost a crime drama revealing the darkness that lies beneath Bradford, it also illuminates its tight-knit and vibrant heart.
Staz Nair as Harry Virdee. Credit: Magical Society / BBC
Defined by a script that wastes no time, the series opens with a first episode that quite literally hits the ground running. A missing teenager has authorities on high alert, and Virdee is hot on the trail of answers, but it’s a trail that is the first introduction for audiences to the fine line he treads between professional responsibility and protecting those he loves. The link between the teen and drug-fuelled gang crime is a complication not only because it intensifies the search, but also because Virdee is closer to both sides of the conflict than he would like.
His brother-in-law and childhood friend, Riaz (Vikash Bhai), is a prominent figure in Bradford’s criminal underworld and has no problem telling Virdee to stay in his lane. Riaz’s penchant for sorting out the city’s problems in his own less than civilised fashion is a point of contention between the pair, but Virdee knows it’s a relationship that has proved valuable for gathering intel and heading crime off at the pass.
With loyalties tested in his professional life, Virdee must also contend with an increasingly strained family dynamic. The impact of his estrangement from his devoutly Sikh family since his marriage to Muslim wife Saima (Aysha Kala) has grown with time and any attempts at reconciliation have only served to reinforce the deep divide. Their attendance at a family wedding, their first appearance together as a married couple in front of Virdee’s parents, captures the palpable tension such interactions evoke. Saima is unwavering in her support of her husband, and the love between them is clear, but both are prepared to put their relationship up for scrutiny if it means their young son will be able to know his family and his heritage. Virdee is not one to give up easily, but the exchanges with his father are some of the most harrowing in the series, capturing the unique emotional wounds that underpin their relationship, but also connecting with the universal sorrow of a fractured family.
Saima (Aysha Kala) and Harry (Staz Nair). Credit: Magical Society / BBC
Perhaps what sets the series apart most of all is that Virdee’s personal life is not merely an aside to solving crime and catching crooks. Rather, the series seamlessly interweaves the two, painting a full picture of the complexities of his family dynamic, and reveals how the burden often shifts, from proving himself worthy as a police officer, to proving himself worthy as a son, father, and partner. When the crimes get personal, however, and the South Asian community in Bradford is targeted by a serial killer, Virdee will stop at nothing to ensure the safety of those he has been tasked with protecting, even if it demands more of him than he could have ever imagined.
Despite pushing the boundaries of a tried and tested genre, Virdee could never be accused of trying too hard. Rather, the series embraces the elements that make British crime drama so prolifically popular, but with a freshness that allows it all the benefits of a proven formula whilst also breaking new ground. Cultural complexities are done justice in a fast-paced, tightly written script, and the multi-faceted, authentic characters are the final ingredient in a perfectly balanced tale that puts South Asian talent at the fore.
Virdee is airing Thursdays 9.30pm on SBS, with episodes also arriving weekly at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Virdee
series • drama
MA15+
series • drama
MA15+
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