Musical version of Lancashire's Bank of Dave announced: all you need to know

The story of Nelson born David Fishwick is now well known across the whole of Lancashire, the UK, and even the world, thanks to interest from US streaming giant Netflix.

In 2023, Bank of Dave was released on Netflix which told the story of Burnley based Dave’s battle to set up a high street bank.

Featuring Bond actor Rory Kinnear in the title role, alongside household namees Phoebe Dynevor, Joel Fry and Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville, the film was an immediate hit on Netlfix in the UK and went on to be shown on Netflix in Australia, New Zealand and the US.

Bank of Dave was so popular that Netflix agreed to publish a sequel too, this time following Dave’s crusade against payday lenders, which was released just this year.

Now, the story is set to be taken to the stage for the first time as this week it was announced that a Bank of Dave musical is heading to two theatres in the UK.

What can we expect from the musical?

Bank of Dave: The Musical promisesto be a home-grown, brand-new British musical, bursting with northern grit, laugh-out-loud humour and what Dave himself calls “the best songs in any musical ever.”

The show information reads: “This feel-good show tells the true-ish story of Dave Fishwick: Burnley born and bred, and no ordinary man. A self-made millionaire, Dave spent years helping local people and small businesses when hard-nosed banks turned them away. Frustrated by the system, he has an idea…set up his own bank and put the profits straight back into his community.

“With posh but principled lawyer Hugh at his side, Dave swaps Burnley for London to take on the banking bigwigs and fight for a fairer deal. But will the fat cats of the City make way for Dave’s dreams?

“From Sunday Times bestseller to Netflix’s #1 UK film, Dave’s inspiring underdog story now bursts onto the stage as a laugh-out-loud British musical packed with heart, humour and cracking new music.”

Presented by ROYO, Future Artists Entertainment, Curve and The Lowry, Bank of Dave The Musical has a book and lyrics by Rob Madge (My Son’s a Queer, But What Can You Do), with music and lyrics by Pippa Cleary (The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾: The Musical) and it will be directed by Curve’s artistic director Nikolai Foster

Where can we catch Bank of Dave The Musical?

Bank of Dave The Musical will make its debut at The Lowry in Salford from May 2- 16 2026, before heading to Leicester Curve from May 20-30 2026.

Tickets for the Salford show can be bought online here with prices starting from £30.50, whilst and Leicester tickets go on sale on October 7.

What has been said about the musical?

In the show description, the main man himself, Dave Fishwick said to expect: “ The humour of The Full Monty with the spirit of Billy Elliot, but with a few more ba*tard bankers, and an unlikely hero from Burnley!”

Dave also added: “This all feels very surreal! I left school at 16, absolutely useless with no qualifications whatsoever. I started work on a building site as a builders’ labourer, and went from builders’ labourer to building the first new high street bank for 150 years in Britain. Then Hollywood turned up, not just once but twice! And now the magical world of theatre has arrived; from Burnley to Broadway – via the magnificent Lowry in Salford and Curve in Leicester first of course! Watching myself on telly was unbelievable; however, watching someone play me live on stage will be totally surreal. I am just an ordinary lad from Burnley, who does extraordinary things, and if I can make it happen, you can too! Always have the courage to follow your dreams!”

Writer Madge said: “A couple of years ago Pippa Cleary and I were asked to turn Dave Fishwick’s inspirational story into a musical (I know! You weren’t expecting that, were you? But, much like Miss Saigon, Dave too has a helicopter, so a musical seemed a natural fit). Safe to say, it has been nothing short of a joy. I am deeply proud to be telling this special tale of community, hope and perseverance. In a world that seems more fractured every day, I am so thrilled to be offering an alternative where our Dave and his brilliant company of players can help mend the broken pieces. As he himself would say, rule number 1: never give up. Rule number 2: never, ever give up.”

Composer Cleary commented: “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be developing this brand-new musical with the amazing Rob Madge. The whole process has been filled with laughter and a real sense of purpose, just like Dave’s story itself. Writing these songs has been such a joy, capturing the humour, grit and heart that makes this tale so uniquely British. We’ve had an absolute blast bringing Dave’s fight for fairness to life, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience it for themselves next year.”