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Bank of Dave is a 2023 British biographical comedy-drama film directed by Chris Foggin, written by Piers Ashworth and produced by Matt Williams, Karl Hall and Piers Tempest. It st…
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Bank of Dave is a 2023 British biographical comedy-drama film directed by Chris Foggin, written by Piers Ashworth and produced by Matt Williams, Karl Hall and Piers Tempest. It stars Joel Fry, Phoebe Dynevor, Rory Kinnear, Hugh Bonneville, Paul Kaye, Jo Hartley and Cathy Tyson.
Bank of Dave is a 2023 British biographical comedy-drama film directed by Chris Foggin, written by Piers Ashworth and produced by Matt Williams, Karl Hall and Piers Tempest. It stars Joel Fry, Phoebe Dynevor, Rory Kinnear, Hugh Bonneville, Paul Kaye, Jo Hartley and Cathy Tyson.
It was released in the United Kingdom on 16 January 2023 by Netflix. A sequel, Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger, was released on 10 January 2025.
The film is based on the real-life experiences of Dave Fishwick. It follows the story of a Burnley self-made millionaire who struggles to set up a community bank to help the town's local businesses to thrive. To do so, he must battle London's elite financial institutions and compete for the first banking licence in more than 150 years.
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.
Source: Bank of Dave (film) (CC BY-SA)
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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.
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.
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 e
