Virdee

I wasn't sure after the first episode, but the second had me hooked. Strong cast led by Staz Nair, who is a commanding force on screen in the title role of Harry Virdee. All the supporting cast are also very good. Storyline is compelling, as are the side stories about the characters personal lives.

The overall tone, characters and story really reminded me of Luther, which is no bad thing.

The setting in the Asian community in Bradford offers something refreshingly different and highlights another side to British life not often seen on TV. And as someone not part of that community, I also found it educational.

Going through the shows and films that are coming out, I saw this one advertised on the BBC and decided to watch the new crime drama Virdee. I got through the 6 episodes over the last couple of days and here is my review of the show. The premise of the shows sees a police detective attempt to find a killer who is targeting the Asian community while dealing with his own demons.

Main Character Staz Nair plays Harry Virdee and he is fantastic in this show. He absolutely nails it as this hard boiled cop and he was a character that I really wanted to root for. He gives a really strong well rounded performance that fits the overall feeling of the show.

Supporting Characters Vikash Bai plays Riaz Hyatt who is an unlikely ally of Harry and is also involved of the shady parts of Bradford. He is great and I really liked the dynamic between him and Harry and how the show does a great job of building their dynamic and relationship.

Aysha Kala plays Saima Hyatt, who is Harrys wife on the show and she is also great. I really believed in their relationship and the two of them have great interactions and story progression that makes them both strong characters.

The rest of the characters come from either Harrys work or both Harry and Saima's families who don't get along. Everyone does really great jobs in their roles whether they are big parts of the show or small parts. They make this feel like an authentic show that delivers on what it promises.

Story The Story is good. There is a real mystery about who Harry is chasing, mixed with family and personal situations that feel realistic and a bit fresher then expected. However, I didn't find the reveal who was the killer to be that interesting and certain elements of the plot didn't seem that important and like it kind of fizzled out.

Script The script has some smart writing and creates interesting characters to populate this show and aid in these great performances. But sort of linked above, I don't think the shows actual story and structure was great and was the part of the show that could have been improved.

Style The show looks great, it really encapsulates the city of Bradford. The show is violent and moves at a great pace that I kept wanting to watch and became hooked. The action scenes are well filmed and the grit really adds a lot to the show.

Overall Overall, Virdee is a great sleeper hit and a show that should be watched. I had a great time with Virdee and I hope we do get more from this show in the future and I would say, give this show a chance I think people will really enjoy it.

Rating - 8/10.

Detective Harry Virdee desperately tries to track down a vicious killer, one with sadistic methods.

First of all, some of these reviews, I have to question if they're based on the whole series, or ten minutes of episode one.

If you're missing Luther, this may just give you your much missed fix, there are certain similarities, it's high octane, action packed, gritty, violent, and we have a charismatic, maverick Cop.

Stick with it is my advice, it's perhaps a little slow to get going, but when it does, it transforms into a gritty, addictive series. Episode 4 sees a big switch up, that's where it really does hit top gear.

Expect plenty of violence, and a couple of grim sequences, I haven't actually seen scenes like this on The BBC since the last run or Luther.

Bradford, The City of Culture plays a huge part, and it looks exactly what it is, a working class, Northern City.

Staz Nair is excellent as Virdee, and if you're a fan of handsome guys, there's no shortage here! At times Aysha Kala really is the star of the show, and Saima is a truly fascinating character, although there's no shortage of those, Harry's father and brother in law, Riaz both play a big part.

I just wish Elizabeth Berrington had played a more active role, such a talented actress, she seems to get better and better.

9/10.

I quite enjoyed this new series as it was great seeing an almost all non white cast....don't honestly quite know what some of the low reviews are being so harsh about. The Bradford accents were fine....the series was very well acted by everyone and the twists and turns in the plot had me binge watching on iPlayer. My only negative is some of the plot holes that were quite big, otherwise I would have scored higher - an example was when Virdees wife Saima is watching Riaz at his warehouse across the road from her car. Everyone standsing outside the warehouse would have seen her car, it was directly opposite and not far - just wasn't believable to me. Anyway, watch this as it's very good in terms of screen play as the storyline was well written. The actors who played Virdee, Saima and Riaz were absolutely outstanding. Loved seeing them in this...it's hard to please everyone but well done!!

Don't judge in the first episode. Keep watching as it does take a little while to get into the characters and the story, then before you know it you are drawn in and you get taken on a great journey. Raw and gritty, the tension builds up nicely and It's full of action and lots of thrills. It also has some very emotional and thought provoking scenes giving a good balance and understanding of the characters. Feel that the main actor grew into his character and he gave a stellar performance. The main actors are cast really well and all the interactions between them set up the foundations of the story line. Absolutely brilliant! Thoroughly enjoyed it and was sat on the end of my seat. Couldn't wait for the weekly watch, but had to binge watch it on iPlayer! Story is very well written and complete and the ending leaves it very nicely set up for the next series and I can't wait!