Virdee cast: who are BBC actors and where have you seen them before

• BBC’s new crime drama is set in Bradford.
• A A Dhand adapts his own books to the small screen.
• Meet the cast - including the actor playing Detective Harry Virdee.

A major new thriller series is about to begin on the BBC in a matter of hours. Audiences will soon be introduced to Detective Harry Virdee.

Filmed and set in Bradford, the show will be airing weekly on the Beeb. It is the latest in a series of attention catching dramas that have had the nation talking on terrestrial TV in 2025.

The cast for the show has been announced. Here’s who the main stars are and where you’ve seen them before:

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Who is in the cast of Virdee?

The drama features actors who have appeared in shows like Game of Thrones, Shameless and more. Here’s the full list:

• Staz Nair as DCI Harry Virdee
• Aysha Kala as Saima Hyatt-Virdee
• Nina Singh as Tara Virdee
• Vikash Bhai as Riaz Hyatt
• Kulvinder Ghir as Ranjit Virdee
• Sudha Buchar as Jyoti Virdee
• Elizabeth Berrington as DS Clare Conway
• Danyal Ismail as DS Amin
• Tomi May as Enzo Tobin
• Andi Jashy as Vasil Shala
• Tobias Jowett as Young Harry Virdee
• Jack Archer as Alastair Boardman
• Hussina Raja as Nadia Ansari
• Connor Horrigan as Viktor
• Madiha Ansari
• Charlie Mann
• Jason Patel
• Conor Lowson
• Rupert Procter
• Oleksandra Palii

Where do you know the actors from?

Staz Nair - DCI Harry Virdee

Staz has had quite the career. He was part of the band Times Red, who competed in the ninth series of The X Factor back in 2012 - making it to the judges’ houses stage.

He also appeared in multiple seasons of Game of Thrones, playing the Dothraki army chief Qhono. While Superman fans may recognise him from the short lived show Krypton - in which he played Dax-Baron.

He also had a spell on the show Supergirl - also based on the Superman comics - playing reporter William Dey in season five and season six. Staz also had a role in the Rebel Moon films on Netflix - playing Tarak.

Aysha Kala - Saima Hyatt-Virdee

You may remember Aysha from her breakthrough spell on Shameless back in 2011. She played Sita Desai in eight episodes in series eight.

Aysha won a BAFTA for breakthrough Brit in 2015 - the same year the show Indian Summer premiered. She played Sooni Dalal in the historical drama.

She also was in the Peter Capaldi, Cush Jumbo Apple TV+ series Criminal Record last year. Aysha played Sonya Singh in the streaming show.

Are you planning to watch Virdee - let me know what you think of it! Send your thoughts via email: [email protected].