Is Netflix’s Bank of Dave 2 a true story? Here’s what ‘based on a true(ish)’ actually means

Bank of Dave 2 is currently at number one on the Netflix film chart, in part, due to its basis as a “true(ish)” recollection of Dave Fishwick’s real story and his battle against payday loan companies.

In 2023, the Bank of Dave highlighted the story of real-life man Dave Fishwick. He’d set out to provide a community bank to his local area only to be confronted by the London elites and financial tycoons. It currently sits at 86 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. The sequel came out last week and is already dominating the Netflix chart.

But as the film highlights the true-ish nature of the story, let’s nail down which details are real and which are fabricated.

Bank of Dave 2 did draw inspiration from a true story

As we see in the Netflix flick, Dave Fishwick went to war with payday loan companies in 2014, but he paid special interest to Wonga after locals complained about it in the Bank of Dave – actually known as Burnley Savings and Loans. His campaigning alongside chief financial officer David Henshaw ultimately led to the UK government introducing legislation on payday loans.

However, there are a few details that are not so true. The loan companies featured in the Netflix show, QuickDough or Snapcash Advance, were created for the film, as was the antagonist Carlo Mancini (Rob Delaney).

In the film’s final act, Dave journeys to the US to serve Carlo an extradition order, but this too was made up. Dave Fishwick was never confronted by henchmen, and he was never smuggled out of the US on a private jet.

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Instead, the real Dave told the RadioTimes that the trip looked much different, explaining: “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 explained.

“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!”

Which of the characters are fictional?

With a film to make and viewing numbers to snag, it’s a given that The Bank of Dave 2 would drift away from the true story, meaning, and characters of the original heartfelt message. Below is a list of characters that were created specifically for the film:

• Amit Shah’s local Citizen’s Advice counsellor Oliver
• Chrissy Metz’s investigative journalist
• Rob Delaney’s loan shark Carlo Mancini

If you want a more accurate depiction of events, look no further than the 2014 documentary Dave: Loan Ranger coming to Netflix on January 15. Happy watching!

Bank of Dave 2 is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.