Dave Fishwick, the man who inspired the new Netflix film, Bank Of Dave, has spoken about his delight in the streaming platform sharing his story.
The film had its premiere in Burnley on Sunday evening and was attended by Rory Kinnear who portrays Fishwick in the movie. It also stars Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dyvenor. In 2011, following the financial crash, the self-made millionaire opened Burnley Savings and Loans, which provides loans to struggling locals who couldn’t secure finances from bigger banks.
In 2022, the company said it loaned £27m to thousands of people and businesses, with all profits being fed back into the local community. “I wanted it to be real and Netflix said ‘so do we’,” Fishwick told BBC Breakfast. He added, “It has just been bonkers, all of it, but it’s so exciting that we have managed to bring it to Burnley.”
“Late 2008, early 2009, my minibus customers were coming to me for finance,” Fishwick continued. “They had done for years. I used to get them a bank loan. Then suddenly that just stopped overnight. The banks just stopped lending. I started to lend the money and then I thought I can help other businesses and lend to other people here. I thought ‘it can’t be that difficult’.”
Meanwhile, director Chris Foggin said filming the “true-ish story with artistic licence” had been an “incredible experience from start to finish”. He added: “We wanted to make a wonderful feel-good movie and hopefully we have achieved that.”
Watch the interview below.
