Historic Leeds pub that has survived over two centuries, Duck & Drake, finds fame on new Netflix film, Bank of Dave.
The pub was closed for five days in March 2022 to allow for filming to take place for Bank of Dave - a heartwarming, feel-good film which is now topping the Netflix charts.
Based on the true-life experiences of Dave Fishwick, Bank of Dave tells the story of how a working class man from Burnley became a self-made millionaire and fought to set up a community bank, so that he could help the local businesses of his beloved town survive in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.
Starring BAFTA-nominated actor Rory Kinnear as the title character, in his bid to help his beloved community of Burnley, Dave has to take on the elitist financial institutions of London and fight to receive the first new banking license to be issued in over 100 years.
Image: Netflix UK & Ireland
The film was predominantly shot in Burnley but additional filming took place in Leeds, with scenes of Dave coming up with the idea for the bank and organising his first loans shot at the Duck & Drake.
Located on Kirkgate, it is one of the most beautiful and historic pubs in all of Leeds.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
It is believe that a public house has stood on the very site for over 200 years, and to this day you can still see examples of its original Victorian beginnings.
From the marble archway doorway jambs to the original light fittings and the floorboards that have survived a whopping two centuries; the pub is drenched in history and if the walls could talk, we're sure they'd have a whole lot to say.
The pub has existed under several different names including The Horse & Groom and The Brougham’s Arms. During the second world war, Brougham’s even had a reputation for being a place where women would meet and entertain American GI’s.
It wasn’t until 1985 that the name changed to The Duck & Drake and today on your visit, you can expect a selection of the finest cask ales, delicious plates of pie and peas and some of the best live music that the city has to offer.
You can find the Duck & Drake towards the end of Kirkgate, just behind the Corn Exchange.
In honour of National Chocolate Week, two big brands are joining forces.
Fancy a freebie? Silly question, of course you do.
Tony’s Chocolonely and Yorkshire Tea have joined forces for National Chocolate Week to ask Brits to declare themselves a ‘Melt’...yes, really.
It comes after the brands discovering a new Gen Z dunking trend, with research finding that 80% of 18–24-year-olds say chocolate is their preferred tea-dunking treat.
To understand why the perculiar pairing has become so popular, the brands recruited Associate Professor of Psychobiology, Dr Lorenzo Stafford, to investigate what happens when tea and chocolate come together.
Associate Professor, Dr Lorenzo Stafford said: "It's fascinating to see how much thought Brits put into what makes a great dunk. Flavour, texture and temperature all shape how we experience food, and the combination of hot tea with melting chocolate creates a particularly enjoyable sensory experience.
"When it comes to dunking, tea and chocolate have great chemistry so it’s no surprise young people have embraced it."
If you want to try it out for yourself, then you can for free - but there is one catch.
From Monday 19 to Friday 23 October, anyone who walks into one of Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds and says ‘I'm a Melt’ will get a free mug of Yorkshire Tea and bar of Tony's Chocolonely.
Not only that, but the first 100 customers will also get a limited-edition ‘Melt’ cap.
Yorkshire Tea & Tony’s Chocolonely said of the partnership, “Brits love their tea and their chocolate and now the science shows why. This National Chocolate Week, we’re inviting everyone to give it a go, embrace their inner Melt and discover just how well chunky chocolate and a proper brew can work together.”
Leeds Bradford Airport strikes will NOT go ahead following ‘late offer’ over pay
Clementine Hall
This weekend's strikes at Leeds Bradford Airport have been cancelled.
Around 130 workers were set to walk out this weekend, Unite said, but this has been suspended to allow air traffic controllers to consider a new pay offer.
The Unite members planning on to go on strike were a mixture of air traffic control workers, customer experience staff, security staff and cleaners.
The workers involved in the dispute had recently come out of a four-year pay deal, with some of the departments having fallen behind other airports in equivalent roles.
Pay talks have been happening since December 2025, with the airport's formal offer not going far enough to address the lack of pay parity which led to the decision to strike.
However, as of yesterday 15 October, the workers have been given new pay offers from the airport and the strikes will not take place to allow a ballot on the offers.
Air traffic controllers and hourly paid staff are being balloted separately on their respective offers.
Unite regional officer Neil Whitaker said: "After receiving offers from Leeds Bradford Airport, we have suspended this week’s strike action in good faith to allow members to vote on pay deals.”
In a statement, Leeds Bradford Airport said: "While the ballot process continues with certain members of our frontline colleagues, we remain hopeful that a positive outcome can be achieved and that an agreement can be reached which works for everyone involved.
"Regardless of the outcome of this ballot, LBA has a robust contingency plan in place and will be operating as normal this weekend.
"Our focus remains on supporting a smooth and reliable experience for customers while maintaining safe and efficient airport operations."
Clementine Hall -
25th January 2023 
