Aahana Swrup
Set in the small town of Burnley, ‘Bank of Dave’ tells the inspirational story of one altruistic, self-made millionaire who embarks on a journey to help his community by launching a local bank for his people. Nevertheless, businessman Dave Fishwick faces many complications in this undertaking, which compels him to seek legal help from a London-based Lawyer, Hugh Stockwell. Thus, with the encouragement and help of other Burnley citizens, Hugh and Dave take on the higher-ups of London’s banking industry.
Within the pack of Burnley citizens, local Doctor Alexandra Ashforth remains an instrumental character in bringing Dave’s vision to life. However, considering the fact and fiction fusion that ‘Bank of Dave’ equips in its pseudo-biographical depiction of Dave Fishwick’s life, fans are bound to wonder about Alexandra’s basis in reality.
Alexandra Ashforth, a Fictional Burnley Doctor
No, Alexandra Ashforth from ‘Bank of Dave’ is not based on a real person. Since the film only takes inspiration from parts of Dave Fishwick’s life, the narrative affords itself a comfortable amount of creative liberty. Therefore, many of the film’s characters and storylines end up being fabricated in service of a specific narrative. Phoebe Dynevor’s character, Alexandra Ashforth, is one such fictional detail.
During the early discussions about the film, the real-life Dave Fishwick put forth the condition to Netflix that he would only be willing to greenlight the film if it’s made in Burnley. The production studio was thrilled by the idea, perhaps stirred by the authenticity it brought to the film. As such, much of the film is shot in Burnley. Therefore, it’s clear that the filmmakers wanted to retain the small town’s magic. For the most part, Alexandra’s character assists in doing the same.
As the local doctor of the only general hospital in town, Alexandra has a personal stake in the success of Dave’s banking endeavors. The doctor wants to open a walk-in clinic to separate primary and tertiary healthcare and alleviate some of the pressure that the hospital’s doctors face regularly. Furthermore, such an establishment will help cut down on waiting time and provide quicker care to those in need.
Nevertheless, Alexandra and her colleagues are facing issues collecting capital for a walk-in clinic since the City Council is hellbent on declining their request. Therefore, she hopes to find funding from Dave and his dream local bank. As such, Alexandra highlights Dave and his bank’s selfless ambition and concern for Burnley through her role in the narrative. Despite the numerous hurdles Dave must work through, he’s not hoping for personal profit at the end of the race. Instead, he wants to build a bank to bring legitimate banking options to his community and fund their businesses.
In real life, Dave Fishwick shares an identical mission. Fishwick hasn’t managed to establish his resources as a UK-regulated bank yet and operates his business, Burnley Savings and Loans, as an independent lending company. Although his current situation may diverge from his on-screen counterpart’s story, Fishwick is still devoted to his vision and continues to work toward bringing it to life.
Nonetheless, even without standing as a legitimate Bank, Burnley Savings and Loans advocates against the Banking Industry’s bonus system and donates its profits to charity. Numerous medical centers make up a number of these charities that the company affiliates itself with. Therefore, it’s possible that the film took inspiration from BSAL’s charitable connection to the medical field to introduce Alexandra’s storyline and highlight the benefit a local hospital could have gotten from Fishwick’s work.
Still, as it remains, neither Alexandra nor her hospital is directly inspired by real-life elements from Fishwick’s journey to fame and success. Furthermore, Alexandra’s personal narrative, revolving around her romantic relationship with Dave’s lawyer, Hugh Stockwell, which ends up playing a vital part in the story, is also fictitious. Chris Moss, the inspiration behind Hugh’s character, confirmed the same in a conversation with the Myerson Solicitors’ Website. Consequently, despite her significant role in the film, Alexandra remains a fictional character.
Read More: Netflix’s Bank of Dave: The Sequel to Shoot in Yorkshire Next Year
