Netflix’s “Bank of Dave” follows a fictitious version of Dave Fishwick’s quest to open a community bank in his tiny hometown of Burnley. It’s a vibrant and engaging story. A number of obstacles stand in the way of Dave and his friends, including Hugh Stockwell, a London barrister, and Alexandra Ashforth, a local doctor. These obstacles are mostly caused by the bankers at London finance institutions, who are hesitant to approve Dave’s bank. Still, the three meet the onslaught of their enemies head-on and don’t give up on their goal.
As a result, Dave gets assistance from friends and neighbours in Burnley, with well-known music promoter Rick Purdy standing out as a particularly noteworthy donor. Because of this and the fact that the man plays a crucial part in the plot of the movie, audiences should be interested in learning if Rick Purdy is based on a real person from Dave Fishwick’s life. Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Rick Purdy is a Fictional Character
No, Rick Purdy, the music promoter from “Bank of Dave” who lives in Burnley, is not based on a real person. Rick’s role in the pseudo-biographical story of the movie, as well as his impact on Dave’s life, are mostly made up. Director Chris Foggin uses a “true-ish” narrative in the movie, drawing inspiration from Dave Fishwick’s life and work. As a result, the movie frequently deviates from reality in meaningful ways by following suit, especially towards the end.
By the time the movie closes, Dave has opened his bank and amassed enough money to comply with the expectations of the Finance Regulation Board. Rick Purdy, an old buddy, provides the man with amazing assistance in order to accomplish this achievement. In the made-up story of “Bank of Dave,” Rick is a well-known English music promoter who has collaborated with and managed a number of well-known figures in the nation’s rock music industry. As a result, he became good friends with Dave, who uses his car-supplying company to help him get minibuses for band tours.
Thus, Rick is able to persuade his former clients who have now become close friends to raise money for Dave’s bank thanks to his connections with Bad Company, Saxon, and Def Leppard. As a result, the man ends up playing a crucial role in helping Dave save his bank by planning a Burnley charity Def Leppard performance for him.
But the most important thing about Rick that influences the way the story is told in the movie is completely made up. There was a real Def Leppard concert in the early 2000s that raised millions of pounds for Fishwick’s bank. Many of the details around that plot line are also made fictional because the detail was simply included to give the story an optimistic, uplifting, and feel-good ending.
Joe Elliott, lead singer of Def Leppard, said to Planet Rock on his band’s involvement in the movie: “What they [the filmmakers] did is they kind of wrote us into the story, and they’ve obviously enhanced the story somewhat because our part in the movie didn’t really happen.” After thirty years of knowing me [in the movie], one of Dave’s pals, played by Rick Purdy, says to him, “I think I might be able to get Def Leppard to do a fundraiser for you.” As a result, Dave’s interaction with Rick Purdy of the Sheffield rock band is still fictitious.
There is no such thing as an English music promoter named Rick Purdy outside of the movie. He managed bands including Def Leppard, Bad Company, and Saxon. Moreover, even though Fishwick is a major fan of Def Leppard in real life, the movie made up his tale about the band and his friend-of-a-friend relationship. In the end, Rick Purdy is a made-up character that was developed by the movie’s scriptwriter, Piers Ashworth, to serve as a conduit between Dave Fishwick and Def Leppard so that the latter could be included into the former’s made-up narrative.
