Bank of Dave sequel is much more real than original, says Dave Fishwick

But while not everything shown in the film is based on complete fact, the real Dave Fishwick explained in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com that far fewer dramatic liberties were taken by the filmmakers this time around.

"Well, on the first one, there was obviously slightly more Hollywood magic, if you will, sprinkled on it," he said. "Because it was the first one, and everybody didn’t know what to expect.

"The second one is hugely more real, because myself and David Henshaw, my right-hand man – he's the bank manager of the Bank of Dave [and] he's been with me right from the beginning – we went after them for real, and we dug a lot of people out of spirals of debt."

He added that even when it came to choosing locations for the new film, more attention was paid to ensuring authenticity, thanks to a conversation he had with Netflix early on in the process.

"I said, 'Look, I really want the pub to be in Burnley, that I really used.' Because the one we used in the first one was in Leeds," he said.

"And it was used for lots of reasons, but I said, 'Before I sign the contract, I want it to be in Burnley, the one I actually used.'

"So when I was a builder's labourer in Burnley, that was the pub that I used to go in after I'd done my half day at college.

"So the Talbot Pub is the one for real. And we used to go in there and listen to Def Leppard songs. And [in the film] there's Def Leppard playing for real in a pub in Burnley!

"And when we went after the pay-day loans, that's real. The origination of pay-day loans is all in America. So we went after them in America for real. And [then] they came after me back. They really tried some dirty tricks and… it's very similar to the movie."

He continued: "It was very important that we put a lot of what really happened. We went after the pay-day loans, and we went knocking on the doors where we thought the addresses were, because I tried to pay them back what customers owed to them, and they just wouldn't take my calls so I went after them.

"So me and David H went down to London, buzzing on all the doors. And they were just cupboards with PO boxes on them that related to America. So in the end, I had to go to America!

"These are bad people, you know, they're the worst of the worst, but what this does is it allows us to shine this magnificent torch called Netflix on the top of this problem of 54 banks closing every month, meaning that there's no access to cash for people, there's 15,000 cash machines free to use gone.

"So it's the rise and rise of the loan shark... and I'm going to see if I can get as many as I can shut down. So what this movie does is fun. It's entertaining. It's a feel-good story, but it's real and it has real purpose."

Bank of Dave 2 is streaming on Netflix from Friday 10th January 2025.

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