User reviews

Detective Harry Virdee is searching for a young lad, who's somehow mixed up in a drugs war in Bradford. Virdee is convinced that a low level criminal named Novak Rexa has the answers, but he's reluctant to talk, Virdee has to cross the line to track him down.

Is it just me, or are The BBC on the hunt for a new series to take over where Luther left off? High octane, gritty and intense drama, with a maverick Cop central to the story.

Good first episode, it certainly started off incredibly well, there's nothing like a fast moving chase sequence. The story is an interesting one, the production values are strong and there's a fine cast, more than enough to bring me back.

I'm intrigued to know what exactly the deal is between Harry and his family, is it purely because of his relationship, and her faith or is there something more going on?

It does its best to showcase Bradford, of course The City of Culture, exactly as I remember it, a working class City, a nice change from London, Manchester and Birmingham.

Staz Nair was good I thought, it's going to need maybe another episode to see what he can do, no denying he's incredibly handsome, and so is his Sergeant, Bradford seems well worth a visit!

Elizabeth Berrington was terrific I thought, she just gets better and better, she has such a presence.

7/10.

Virdee is based on the books by Amit Dhand. It focuses on maverick Sikh cop Harry Virdee who is married to Saima, a Pakistani Muslim who is a doctor.

His relationship with Saima has caused waves with Harry's father. Even though his father married a Hindu woman. Harry brother in law Riaz is a local drug kingpin.

The first episode opens with a thrilling chase. Harry is after a suspect who might have a lead over a missing asian teenager.

It ends with what might be a serial killer terrorising the Asian community of Bradford.

Virdee had a difficult part before production started. Actor Sacha Dhawan left at the last minute citing scheduling issues. Which tends to be code for he thought the script was rubbish.

Staz Nair was parachuted in very late has Harry Virdee. Joining the rest of the actors who had to adopt a Yorkshire accent. It all sounds exaggerated to me.

The rest of the episode seemed very much like any other trite hard boiled crop drama on British television.

This show is centered in Bradford, an old industrial city in the North of England. It's dark not only in a noir way, but cinematically. It makes Bradford look like a rusty decaying area with vacant warehouses and not a vibrant modern city. It's dreary and depressing to watch and the overcast weather doesn't help.

This is not a "Grace", a "Vera", a "Shetland" or an "Annika". The writing standard isn't the same, it's all over the place mixing family drama with murder cases, There is too much family drama, who cares about the petty conflicts.

The script is cliched, the accents are northern British, but the police drama says bad American police procedural. Gangs, drugs and fights between cops and gangs, nothing new here. I don't have a problem with the cast. I made it through two episodes, that's enough for me.

As a huge fan of the A. A. Dhand books, I was worried that the storyline would be changed beyond recognition, but apart from a few small alterations, it was true to the book. (The reviewer who mentioned Harry and Saima getting married was mistaken; it was another couple getting married, and Harry and Saima were guests). I love the way that Bradford City itself was a major character, which is a refreshing change. The casting was spot-on, so I can only assume that the author had a hand in choosing the actors. I am looking forward to the rest of the series with great anticipation, this is a brilliant start.