Bank of Dave is a 2023 biographical comedy film starring Rory Kinnear.
Dave Fishwick is a self-made millionaire who made his fortune selling and renting vans and minibuses. With the Great Recession hitting his hometown of Burnley hard, Dave has taken to loaning money to those who need it. Seeing that his lending is doing good, Dave seeks to start up his own bank so he can take in deposits and help even more people. Doing so will take great effort however, as a new banking license hasn't been issued in Great Britain in over a century. Helping him in this quest is Hugh, a London-based solicitor who is initially doubtful of Dave's chances of success but soon become one of his strongest supporters.
The film shares its title with a Channel Four documentary series that tracks the real Dave Fishwick's efforts to set up his own bank.
A sequel, Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger, premiered on January 10, 2025. A musical adaptation is in the works.
This film provides examples of:
- All-Loving Hero: Dave's motivation for loaning money and setting up his bank is so that he can help people and local businesses in need and keep the Burnley economy from completely collapsing. He's also intent on funneling any profits he makes from interest payments to local charities.
- Artistic License – History: When Dave finally gets to open his bank, the sign reads "Bank of Dave" as a Title Drop. The real sign actually reads "Bank on Dave" as a slogan and the actual operation is called Burnley Savings and Loan as it doesn't hold enough funds to be legally qualify as a bank.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Charles Denbigh, Giles, and Henrietta manipulate the system to bring criminal prosecution against Dave and prevent his bank plan from going through as they see him as a threat to the established banking industry.
- David Versus Goliath: Dave repeatedly says that he's setting up a small bank to take on some of the biggest financial institutions in the world.
- Lighter and Softer: The real Dave is actually a Sir Swears-a-Lot who drops "fuck" often in casual conversation. The film tones this down to be more family friendly.
- Loophole Abuse: Dave's first branch has signage reading "Bank of Dave" in quotation marks to show that it's not actually called that. This is because it's a savings-and-loan operation and doesn't technically qualify as a bank.
- Oh, Crap!: When Dave is finally approved to operate a bank, his elation is cut short when he learns that he needs to come up with a deposit of 12 million pounds in 90 days. Although he's wealthy, it's an amount beyond his means.
- Oop North: The film is set in Burnley and most characters, most notably Dave, speak with strong Burnley accents.
- Real-Person Cameo:
- Def Leppard show up to play at a benefit concert to raise funds for Dave's bank.
- Dave Henshaw, the real Burnley Savings and Loan's chief financial officer, is seen in the crowd when Dave opens his first branch at the end of the film.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story: Most of the plot is invented out of whole cloth. The only "real" characters featured in the film are Dave and his wife, Nicola. While the real Dave did experience pushback and struggle to set up Burnley Savings and Loan, his obstacles were entirely bureaucratic and regulatory and he was never prosecuted for loansharking. Also, there was never a benefit concert featuring Def Leppard.