Inside the Big Issue: How to catch a loan shark

Burnley’s Dave Fishwick took on payday lenders such as Wonga and won, offering not only money but hands-on advice. The new Netflix film Bank of Dave 2 celebrated his Dave vs Goliath win against the loan sharks, but he says community banks like his are needed more than ever.

Played by Rory Kinnear on your telly, the real-life Dave speaks to Big Issue about his crusade against a firm charging interest rates as high as 5,500%, preying on the vulnerable and desperate.

Along with politicians including Labour’s Stella Creasy, his efforts saw Wonga dissolved in 2020. But as the cost of living crisis pushes Brits to the brink, Fishwick has turned to lobbying the government for change.

He was “mortified” when he heard about cuts to the winter fuel payment. “After that I lost a lost of hope for change,” he says. “Why are we taking money from the people who need it the most? It’s important that we protect the most vulnerable people.”

What’s next for the man with twice as many biopics as Elton John? Buy a copy of Big Issue to find out.

What else is in this week’s issue?

Government reforms mean landlords are threatening an ‘exodus’ by selling up. What will happen to renters’ homes if they do?

“It’s not as profitable as it used to be,” one landlord tells us. “It’s becoming very difficult to justify staying.”

Labour’s changes to renters’ rights have led a third of landlords to consider selling. A group representing landlords says it could push their tenants into homelessness. But what would really happen if there was an exodus? We’ve taken a look at the bold alternatives to the status quo.

Comedian James Acaster explains what happened when he encouraged audiences to scroll their phones and heckle

For his most recent tour, Hecklers Welcome, James Acaster had an idea: let punters chat, scroll their phones, and yell at him.

Surprisingly, he says, the screentime and heckling seemed the same.

“What was nice about this show was that I created an environment where they couldn’t ruin it, because even when it got to its rowdiest, the show was still very much about the relationship I have with the audience,” he says.

Novelist Harlan Coben looks back for his Letter to My Younger Self

From The Stranger and Safe to Shelter and Stay Close, Harlan Coben has Netflix adaptations coming out of his ears. But who is the man behind the mysteries?

The novelist takes us through a personal history of tragedy, Springsteen and made-up worlds.

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