Bank of Dave

Plot

Dave Fishwick is a successful businessman in Burnley, a depressed town in the north of England. During a recent recession, he began lending his own money to customers who were having trouble making payments, as well as to local families and businesses who were unable to obtain loans from the very banks that caused the recession. None of those he lent money to failed to pay him back, and some even made money and asked him to invest it for them, which he cannot do without accreditation. He decides to create a community bank called the Bank of Dave, whose profits would go to charity.

Hugh Stockwell, a young London solicitor, is assigned by his firm to go to Burnley and provide Dave with the legal advice he needs to prepare an application to the Financial Regulations Board, the government organization responsible for banks. Initially sceptical, especially because no new bank has been approved in the UK for over a century, Hugh intends to dissuade Dave from pursuing his project. However, Dave tells Hugh he expects his application to be turned down, but he wants to force the Board to explain its decision publicly; Hugh agrees to prepare the necessary paperwork. Clarence, Hugh's boss, supports him, but warns him to expect the Board to fight dirty.

Alexandra Ashforth, Dave's niece, is a young physician who is trying to obtain funding for a walk-in clinic in Burnley to relieve pressure on the local healthcare system. She meets Hugh in embarrassing circumstances, and is not impressed by him at first, but they eventually become friends, and he confides in her that he feels more relaxed in Burnley than in London.

Hugh submits Dave's application to the Board. A few days later, Dave is arrested on a charge of illegal money lending for one of the loans he made in the past: although his intention was merely to pay a friend's funeral expenses, the widow insisted on its being a loan, and he used one of his business's forms for that purpose. If convicted, he will be ineligible to run a bank. Alexandra learns from a contact in the local police that it was not them, but a team sent from London, who arrested Dave, and that the case is based on a complaint from Sir Charles Denbigh, one of the UK's most senior bankers. Hugh convinces a local magistrates' court to dismiss the case for malicious prosecution.

Hugh and Dave attend a meeting with the Board and are surprised to be told the application is accepted. However, Dave will have to deposit £12 million within 90 days, the members' expectation being that Dave will be unable to meet this condition and that the project will fail. Insisting that the bank be funded by local sources, Dave puzzles over where he will be able to raise the required sum. He says goodbye to Hugh and heads back to Burnley.

Sad to be finished with Dave's project, and missing Alexandra, Hugh is offered lucrative work for a major client on the condition that he work exclusively for them. He subsequently learns that this assignment came to him through Denbigh, who wants to preclude him from doing future work for the Bank of Dave, thus helping ensure its failure. Hugh accepts the assignment reluctantly, aware that he has been bought off.

Hugh returns to Burnley for a funeral. Dave tells him he will not be able to raise the full £12 million, but Hugh then suggests, to raise the difference, holding a benefit concert featuring rock group Def Leppard, who agree to participate. When the proceeds from the concert are not quite enough to hit the target, Hugh borrows £1 million from Clarence, which puts them over the top.

The Bank of Dave opens and is a success, helping local businesses create jobs and providing funding for a new walk-in clinic. Hugh tells Alexandra he will be moving to Burnley because he wants to be with her.

Cast

Rory Kinnear as Dave Fishwick

Phoebe Dynevor as Alexandra Ashforth

Joel Fry as Hugh Stockwell

Hugh Bonneville as Sir Charles Denbigh

Angus Wright as Clarence

Paul Kaye as Rick Purdey

Jo Hartley as Nicola Fishwick

Cathy Tyson as Maureen Clayton

Naomi Battrick as Henrietta

Florence Hall as Meghan

Drew Cain as Prosecutor

Grant Crookes as Press

Joanne James as Pub Patron

Amanda Marchant as Pub Patron

The film includes cameos by band Def Leppard, the-then Burnley FC manager Sean Dyche, and real-life Bank of Dave chief financial officer David Henshaw.

Production

Netflix acquired the film rights of Bank of Dave, with Piers Ashworth writing and Chris Foggin directing the film under the production companies Tempo Productions Limited, Future Artists Entertainment, Ingenious Media and Rojovid Films. Pre-production began on 8 January 2022 and filming commenced on 28 February 2022. The film was in post-production between 18 April 2022 and 27 September 2022, and the film was completed on 22 December 2022.

Although some scenes were filmed in and around Burnley, most of the production was filmed in Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield in Yorkshire, including City Hall in Bradford, Production Park in Wakefield, with most of the pub and cafes scenes filmed in Leeds.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 35 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "A feel-good underdog story loosely rooted in real events, Bank of Dave may not be the most memorable movie of its type, but it's got sweetness and charm to spare."

Writing in The Guardian, Cath Clarke judged that, "Rory Kinnear is brilliant as Fishwick, who made his fortune selling vans and minibuses but has never forgotten his roots", adding that, "Kinnear gives the character a winning mix of down-to-earth blokiness with a rags-to-riches flamboyance (and a bit of ego to match the flash car)". However, Clarke found that "[t]he rest of the characters feel as if they might have been generated by an algorithm" although she noted that "Hugh Bonneville gives good sneer as a fatcat banker". Overall, she decided, "It’s a film with a decent bit of charm, and it’s hard to argue with the greed-is-bad message. [...] But an artificial taste ruins a fair few scenes".

True story

The film gives a disclaimer at the start saying it is "true(ish)". While the basic story and some of the locations are true (scenes were even filmed in Dave Fishwick's own home), much of the film is fictional.

The lawyer (actually two lawyers, Keith Arrowsmith and Chris Moss) were based in Manchester and both married already

There was no senior banker, "Sir Charles Denbigh" in the film, who tipped off the Burnley police to bring a prosecution

The rock band Def Leppard did not perform at a fund-raising concert at Turf Moor. The band flew from the US just to film their cameo in the film.

A true bank has not yet been established and is actually Burnley Savings and Loans, a legal peer-to-peer lender. The capital demanded by the FSA was never raised and so the company is still in the process of getting a banking licence. Above the door is a sign saying "Bank on Dave", which avoids claiming that it is a bank,

Sequel

A sequel film, Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger, was released on 10 January 2025, with Kinnear reprising his role.