Doctor Who's Sacha Dhawan drops out of thriller Virdee – replacement confirmed

Nair – whose other acting credits include Game of Thrones and Supergirl – said it was "an absolute honour" to be taking on the role of Bradford cop Harry Virdee in the show, which is adapted by AA Dhand from his own series of crime novels.

The actor described Virdee as a "vibrant and complex story about assimilating culture and what we’re willing to do to protect who and what we love", and added that the show "leads with vulnerability more than any detective drama I’ve ever seen".

Other key additions to the cast include Aysha Kala (Criminal Record) as Saima Virdee, Harry’s wife, Nina Singh (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) as his niece Tara who is a keen crime reporter and Vikash Bhai (Crossfire) as his brother-in-law Riaz Hyatt.

Kulvinder Ghir (Foundation) and Sudha Bhuchar (Expats) will play Harry Virdee’s parents, Ranjit and Jyoti.

Meanwhile, Henpocalypse! and The Nevers star Elizabeth Berrington has joined the cast as DS Clare Conway, while Danyal Ismail (All the Lights Still Burning) will take on the role of DS Amin.

The cast is rounded out by Tomi May (Justice League), Andi Jashy (Gangs of London), Hussina Raja (Look at Us), Akshay Kumar (Double Blind), Madiha Ansari (Home Sick), Jason Patel (Unicorns), Conor Lowson (The Bay) and Rupert Procter (Doctors).

Speaking about the ensemble, Dhand called it "a truly diverse cast with an abundance of talent, but most importantly real passion for this show".

And of Nair specifically, he added that the actor "brings Harry Virdee authentically to life not only with a real physical presence, but also an emotional depth that instantly resonated with us all".

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First announced by the BBC's director of drama Lindsay Salt at the Edinburgh TV Festival in 2023, the series is currently filming in Bradford, and will follow the titular police officer after he is disowned by his Sikh family for marrying Saima, who is Muslim.

With his personal life in chaos, Virdee must hunt down a killer targeting the Asian community.

The official synopsis continues: "When the murderer kidnaps a local police chief’s son and 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."

As well as boasting an impressive cast, the BBC has also revealed that legendary film composer Hans Zimmer will be writing the title theme and score for the series.

Virdee will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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