The series, called Virdee, is based on the best-selling novels by AA Dhand, who was born and brought up in the city. The show tells the story of Detective Harry Virdee, a dedicated cop estranged from his Sikh family after marrying Saima, a Muslim woman.
It centres around a turf war which is brewing in the underbelly of the city as the police lose its grip on gang rivalries and they spill out onto the streets of Bradford. A young drug dealer is murdered and Harry is tasked with finding the killer – who holds the city to ransom.
Multi award-winning composer Hans Zimmer, who worked on Interstaller and Dark Knight among other blockbuster movies, is composing the theme tune
The new pictures show Staz Nair (Rebel Moon, Game of Thrones) in the lead role of Bradford-based detective, Harry Virdee.
He is joined by Aysha Kala (Criminal Record, Indian Summers) who plays Harry’s wife, Saima and Vikash Bhai (Crossfire, Limbo) as Saima’s brother, Riaz.
The new pictures also shows Kulvinder Ghir (Foundation, Blinded By The Light) and Sudha Bhuchar (Expats, Rules of the Game) as Harry parents, Ranjit and Jyoti and Elizabeth Berrington (Good Omens, The Nevers), as Harry’s boss DS Clare Conway and Danyal Ismail (All the Lights Still Burning, The Outrun) as Harry’s new partner, DS Amin.
As part of Bradford being the 2025 UK City of Culture, the BBC is planning a year-long celebration as the official broadcast partner, and the launch of Virdee on BBC One and iPlayer will form part of this.