AA Dhand, the former pharmacist and bestselling crime writer behind the BBC series Virdee, has revealed he was forced to sell his community pharmacy after suffering burnout during the Covid-19 pandemic. The author, who created the fictional Bradford detective Harry Virdee, said he 'could not go back' to the profession after the traumatic experience.
From Pharmacy to Crime Writing
For over a decade, Dhand balanced running one of Leeds' busiest independent pharmacies—dispensing up to 20,000 prescriptions monthly—with writing gritty thrillers set in West Yorkshire. His debut novel, Streets of Darkness (2017), introduced detective Harry Virdee and led to a BBC adaptation starring Staz Nair. However, the pandemic proved devastating. Dhand worked gruelling 24-hour shifts, lost his 66-year-old mother Veena to Covid-19, and faced financial ruin as the government reimbursed him pennies for drugs that cost pounds to source. 'I just thought, I can't do it. I'm going broke,' Dhand said. 'Covid literally broke me. I looked after all the vulnerable patients I could, and I couldn't look after the one that mattered the most.'
The Chemist and The Kingpin
Channeling his frustrations into a new series, Dhand introduced pharmacist-turned-vigilante Idris Khan in The Chemist (2025). The sequel, The Kingpin, launched last week at the Bradford Literature Festival. The plot sees Idris, a former community pillar, drawn into a turf war after his ex-wife kills a drugs baron to save a sex worker. Idris uses his pharmaceutical expertise to deploy legal drugs against criminals—a concept Dhand likens to a 'superpower.' The Kingpin introduces Idris's estranged brother Zidane, who proposes running the drug trade 'ethically' like a wholesale pharmacy. Dhand described the series as 'an explosive mash-up of Breaking Bad, Top Boy, Dexter and The Wire.'
Community Pharmacy Under Strain
Dhand's experiences highlight a national crisis. His pharmacy in Leeds' Hyde Park neighbourhood dispensed 18,000-20,000 prescriptions monthly—four times the average. Yet the business was strangled by medicine pricing and shortages. A key example was Atorvastatin, a common statin: 'The government reimbursed me 40p because I should have bought it for 26p, but I was buying it for pounds due to shortages. I bought a thousand packs a month. There's no profit there.' He added that a list of 150 medications were impossible to source. Even large chains like LloydsPharmacy ceased trading in November 2023. Dhand noted that pharmacist locum rates have stagnated at £25 per hour since 2003. 'The doctors can go on strike, the nurses can go on strike, the pharmacists cannot. Can you imagine if every pharmacy closed? People would die,' he warned.
Personal Impact and Mother's Influence
Dhand credits his mother, Veena, a first-generation immigrant from Punjab, for his work ethic. Her sayings—'You work until the work is done' and 'Nobody cares. Work harder'—are pinned above his desk. He recalled a poignant incident where a patient missing her daily 7am prescription led him to break into her flat, finding her dead. The woman's sister later thanked him from America. Dhand also expressed concern about small businesses being used for money laundering: 'Barbershops, vape shops, convenience stores—they're just washing money.'
Future of Virdee and New Projects
Despite critical acclaim, the BBC has not renewed Virdee for a second series. 'It was a difficult thing to hear,' Dhand said, but he is working on a new show with the BBC. He will appear at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate from July 23-26. Reflecting on his journey, Dhand said: 'I do feel I'm in a very happy and privileged position, but I've worked hard for it. It's like my mum's words: you work until the work is done.'
