Virdee star breaks down shocking end to episode 1 – and why it's "more raw" than usual detective shows

While that's the main draw on paper, it's the family drama that hooks you beyond the usual thriller tropes. And much of that drama stems out of Harry's estrangement from his Sikh family, which happened when he decided to marry a Muslim woman named Saima.

After some tense back-and-forth at a wedding early on, Harry decides to make peace with his father so that his own son can celebrate Diwali with him and the others as one big happy family. Except, things soon take a sour turn at the end of episode 1 when Harry shows up at his father's doorstep with gifts.

"What it is at its core," describes Nair, "is someone being abandoned by the person that gave them their sense of identity and raised them, having that level of void and displacement for a number of years, trying to push it aside and say it's fine, only to realise, as your son is getting older, that he needs answers.

"He needs to understand this. What does that mean for him? That catalyses this feeling within Harry. 'I need to try something. We need to try.' It takes a lot of humility, and it takes a lot of bravery, in many ways, to go ahead and be the person to do that."

Read more:

• Virdee star Staz Nair explains why it was "actually terrifying" to play the lead
• Virdee is a love story wrapped around a crime thriller, says author Amit Dhand

During a tense confrontation, Harry's father makes him get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness. It's cruel and humiliating, but Harry goes through with it anyway, seeing no other option. But even that's not enough for his father who then tips a curry over his son's head when he's at his most vulnerable, comparing his own flesh and blood to a dog.

"That's the ultimate betrayal," says Nair. "It's shame. It's being abandoned once again, after you've mustered up the courage to go ahead and actually do this. These are concepts that are very universal. It doesn't matter if it's curry or if it's someone throwing plates at you. It's someone telling you you're not good enough. Get out.

"Playing that, it was difficult. It's complex, drawing from my own experiences – without getting too deep – the complexity of my dynamic and my relationship with my family, leaning on that and understanding that from its core meaning."

It's scenes like these that help set Virdee apart from other detective shows of its ilk, moments that are culturally specific yet also universal when it comes to the emotion they're grounded in.

"It's a bit more raw than the usual shows," says Nair. "Harry Virdee himself is a lot less impervious to the circumstances than a lot of detectives are with his empathy. This is more than just a job for Harry Virdee. It's such an integral part of his identity."

"And look, a South Asian cast," Nair adds. "When have we seen detectives being South Asian? What I love about the show is that whilst it's a South Asian show, made by Asians, it's not just for Asians.

"The themes of the show – loyalty, love, loss, abandonment, complex, family dynamics, what we do for those we love, the secrets we keep, the pride we have from where we're from — these are all concepts that are deeply human that go beyond that, which is wonderful, and how we really level the playing field."

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

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.