New pictures of pharmacist A.A. Dhand’s bestselling Harry Virdee crime novels which have been adapted for TV have been released by the BBC. 

Last month (November 29), BBC shared pictures of the six-part series ‘Virdee’ which will be shown on BBC One in 2025.  

C+D previously reported on Dhand, who is a registered pharmacist based in Yorkshire, but has also published a series of crime novels. 

Read more: A.A. Dhand: Pharmacist crime author to publish new novel The Chemist

‘Virdee’ depicts the life of Bradford detective Harry Virdee who is a cop estranged from his Sikh family after marrying Saima, a Muslim woman.

Staz Nair (Rebel Moon, Game of Thrones) is cats in the lead role of Harry Virdee, and 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.  

Hans Zimmer meets Bradford 

Set and filmed entirely in Bradford, the release comes as the city celebrates itself as the 2025 UK City of Culture, with the BBC confirming a year-long celebration around the city and across the BBC as the official broadcast partner of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.  

Read more: ‘Virdee’: Pharmacist crime novelist’s bestsellers to be made into BBC series

One of the world’s greatest living composers Hans Zimmer (Interstellar, The Dark Knight) is composing the ‘Virdee’ title theme with film and TV score collective Bleeding Fingers and Indian composer Shashwat Sachdev. 

And two trainees from Screen Academy Bradford are assisting Bleeding Fingers with composing the series’ score. 

Read more: The Pharmacy: Channel 4 commissions pharmacist-penned comedy short

More than two thirds of the participants, tutors, consultants on the TV production came from the West Yorkshire area, as the BBC say this ensures “authentic storytelling and strong local representation” as well as making sure the “stories told on screen resonate with, and reflect the richness of the communities from which they emerge”. 

The new pictures also show 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. 

Read more: Mystery pharmacist publishes a widely praised romantic novel

The plot of ‘Virdee’ centres on a turf war in Bradford as the police fail to get a hold of gang rivalries spiralling onto the streets.   

The BBC writes: “when a young dealer is murdered, Harry’s duty to uphold the law clashes with his links to members of the crime gangs. With his personal life in chaos, he must hunt down whoever is targeting those around him.

Read more: C+D's book recommendations to cosy up with this season

“Whilst the killer 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.”  

‘Virdee’ sees Dhand operate as creator, writer and executive producer, with the series directed by Mark Tonderai (Gotham, Doctor Who, Foundation), Milad Alami (Bullshit, When the Dust Settles) and Mo Ali (Hijack, Cobra). 

Read more: Pharmacy featured in ‘Paddington in Peru’ film

It is a Magical Society production for BBC iPlayer and BBC One in association with Screen Yorkshire, and Cineflix Rights is the exclusive worldwide distribution partner outside of the UK. 

2025 is set to be a busy year for Dhand, as his next crime novel ‘The Chemist’ is set for publication in spring 2025. 

Read more: The Poetry Pharmacy secures Pan Macmillan anthology series

The book’s plot focuses on a pharmacist and is inspired by his own experiences of “drugs, dealers and incredible stories of maverick drug-deals”.