Bank of Dave on Netflix

It’s not every day that TheBusinessDesk.com can recommend a weekend Netflix treat that tells an entertaining story of a North West business story.

Bank of Dave, starring Rory Kinnear, tells the tale of Dave Fishwick, a minibus and van rental boss from East Lancashire and his attempts to set up his own bank in Burnley as a response to the financial crisis, which was covered at the time. 

Even when he eventually established Burnley Savings and Loans he had an eye on the film posters: “Now one man, fed up with never-ending tales of greed and corruption, sets out to prove that there is a different way of doing things,” said his website.

Critics have praised the film, notably Kinnear’s depiction of Fishwick, though the filmmakers do acknowledge there are a few liberties with the truth. Notably, the dastardly lengths that mainstream banks went to in order to stop him were exaggerated.

At the premiere at Reel Cinema in Burnley this week Fishwick was delighted, telling the Burnley Express: “The positive feedback online and on Twitter and TikTok has been amazing and unbelievable. I have never seen anything like it before.

“In less than 24 hours we are now trending on Netflix, the biggest movie platform in the world. Wow. I’ve had lots of incredibly positive messages about the movie and Burnley being shown in an amazing, positive way, which I think is fantastic.

“We are helping to put Burnley on the world stage.”