Where is Virdee filmed? Location guide for BBC drama

Created, written and executive produced by AA Dhand, Virdee is based on the author's hit novels, namely City of Sinners and some snippets from some others.

Adapting his books for the screen himself, Dhand also grew up in Bradford, which very much is one of the main characters of the series.

Speaking about filming in the city, Dhand told the BBC: "I selected most of the locations used in the series because I wanted to show my city off! I wanted to show the contrast between old Bradford and new Bradford."

But where exactly was Virdee filmed? Read on for a breakdown of the locations used in the new BBC crime drama.

Where was Virdee filmed?

Virdee is set and filmed in Bradford.

The city in West Yorkshire, England, is actually the UK's City of Culture for 2025 – so it's the most opportune time to show off the city.

Speaking about the locations used in the series, author AA Dhand said: "We go to City Park, where we have the biggest water fountains there are in England with the beautiful megastructure, which is new, fresh, colourful and vibrant. This is juxtaposed in the series with the nightmarish ruins and mills that haven’t been used for decades.

"There’s so much history in these mills too, around 200 years ago Bradford was one of the most powerful and richest cities in Europe – we made the curtains that were in the White House! You see the decline of that industry in those mills but then you get to see new Bradford with City Park and the vibrancy of that."

He went on: "I was trying to choose locations that fed into the story which had an emotional backdrop to them that could mirror what was happening on screen.

"For example, if something dark was happening we’d be in a mill and if something beautiful and light was happening, we’d be in City Park or Lister Park. Bradford is a really beautiful city."

Other locations used for the series include Cartwright Hall, the underground tunnels of Sunbridge Wells, Bradford City Hall and the Khidmat Community Centre, as well as plenty of streets and homes used for various scenes.

Speaking about his favourite filming location of the series, star Staz Nair said: One of the first scenes I did on the streets of Bradford is when Harry meets a local street dealer to find out where someone is.

"We were in the middle of nowhere filming down an alleyway and a lovely neighbour came by and offered us some chai, it was so lovely. This woman didn’t know us! In Saima’s dad’s house, the owner cooked for us. In the Virdee house, the owner and I sat and bonded.

"Bradford was so welcoming, and everyone was so excited to part of it and understand what was going on, so I think that really inspired us all to continually put everything into it."

Similarly, Aysha Kala – who plays Saima – said of the Bradford welcome to the cast: "We did have a really warm welcome! I felt there was a real buzz about filming in Bradford and when we were filming out and about people would always be interested in what we were doing.

"When we did scenes in Bradford City Park, lots of people kept coming up to us and were watching what we were filming and asking when it’ll be going out. It has such an amazing buzz to it. Bradford is the biggest part of the show, so I really hope we’ve done it justice!

"One of my favourite locations was Saima’s dad’s house because the people that lived there was so lovely while we were filming there – we’d talk to them, they made us tea and they kept us warm in their living room. It genuinely didn’t feel like I was working. It was lovely."

As a native Bradford resident, Danyal Ismail – who plays DS Amin – also told the BBC: "I’ve always wanted the show to do good by Bradford. Simply seeing the show and the city inside will likely enlighten most people to a place they only know of by reputation.

"I’d hopefully like to surprise a few people with Bradford’s diversity. Modern new builds and fancy cars shadowed by 18th century textile mills, or quaint cobbled streets a stone’s throw from vast moorland. All within the same district. It truly makes me proud to see the city on screen."

Virdee airs Mondays at 9pm on BBC One and is streaming on BBC iPlayer now.

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