Virdee is my Finesse love letter to Bradford

From torture scenes in iconic mills to police chases in historic markets, the BBC's next big crime thriller may not seem it, but is actually a love letter to the city of Bradford.

- JANINE YAQOOB

Virdee is the brainchild of proud local author A A Dhand (Amit Dhand) and it is tipped to be the next Happy Valley.

Gritty, fast-paced and heartfelt, it tells the story of dedicated Detective Harry Virdee (Staz Nair), whose personal life is in chaos, while a drug-gang turf war is brewing and the police are losing their grip.

The BBC One six-part series, which starts tomorrow, also touches on important issues, such as religious divides and interracial relationships. Writer Amit cannot wait to show off his city.

Bradford is this year's UK City of Culture and it will host events showcasing what it has to offer.

Amit, 45, said: "Everything's here. We've got the best food, the best locations, it's the best city. It might officially be City of Culture, but it's always been the city of culture.

Once booming, Bradford went into decline in the 90s when mills closed. Since then it has been more synonymous with the dark days of the riots and deprivation.

But Amit said this year will put the West Yorkshire city back on the map. "Bradford was the most powerful city in Europe 200 years ago. We made the curtains that hung in the White House. That's how strong we were.

"Any city that's had an industrial decline goes through change. That's what our series shows, moments of old and new Bradford."

And he does that seamlessly in Virdee. Switching from the moodiness of Bradford's mills for dark, violent scenes to happier scenes at the recently built multi-million pound City Park, which has the largest urban water feature in the UK.