Thrilling Netflix drama that’s soared to number 1 ‘takes the truth and stirs the pot’

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Up Next

Previous Page Next Page

It was a conversation with a Guinness family heiress that sparked the idea for Steven Knight’s new period drama.

Launching this week, House of Guinness travels back in time to tell the story of the aftermath of the divisive will left by Sir Benjamin Guinness – the richest man in Ireland – upon his death in 1868.

Each episode of the new Netflix series begins with a disclaimer of sorts – which tells viewers that what they are about to watch is ‘fiction inspired by true stories’.

Set in 19th century Dublin and New York, House of Guinness ‘explores an epic story inspired by one of Europe’s most famous and enduring dynasties’.

Everything kicks off soon after the death of Sir Benjamin – whose grandfather established the famed brewery – and how his will had not only a far-reaching impact on his four children, but also on countless others.

Get personalised updates on all things Netflix

Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter.

Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.

‘Each of the siblings must now carry the weight and responsibility of their famous name into the future, as they seek to cement the legacy of their family,’ it’s been teased.

Steven Knight’s new period drama House of Guinness hit screens this week (Picture: Ben Blackall/ Netflix)

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Up Next

Previous Page Next Page

The siblings are played by Anthony Boyle as Arthur Guinness, Louis Partridge as Edward Guinness, Emily Fairn as Anne Plunket and Fionn O’Shea as Benjamin Guinness.

The idea came from Ivana Lowell, who gave the acclaimed screenwriter an insight into the family’s ‘slightly bonkers, posh, reckless, fun feeling’.

Speaking to Metro a few days before the show’s launch, the core cast explained having their eyes opened to the Guinness family and their legacy 300 years after founder Arthur Guinness was born.

‘I didn’t know too much about them and how wealthy they were,’ Anthony, best known for starring in Masters of the Air and Say Nothing, said.

The series tells the story behind the heirs to the brewery (Picture: Netflix) Anthony Boyle stars as Arthur Guinness, who is forced to help run the family business (Picture: Ben Blackall/ Netflix)

Although Steven said that ‘so much of the true stuff are things people will think are made up’, the two actors avoided researching their real-life counterparts.

‘It’s semi-fictionalised, so we didn’t want to get bogged down in the details. I think Steven takes largely the truth and stirs the pot a little bit for good drama,’ Louis, who admitted he ‘felt a bit of pressure’ taking on an Irish accent for the role, explained.

For Fionn – who grew up in Dublin – he was astounded discovering how dramatic the environment the family were running the business in.

‘I didn’t know a huge amount about the family, and it hadn’t crossed my mind how complicated the time when they were running this operation was. There was a massive religious divide, Ireland was under the British occupation and there was so much going on. Growing up I just thought of the Guinness brand and not how they got there, so I went through a massive education of that family, which was fascinating,’ he said.

Emily Fairn’s character Anne is shocked to discover her family’s part in the famine (Picture: Ben Blackall/ Netflix)

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Up Next

Previous Page Next Page

Despite the family now being known for having a long history of philanthropy – specifically establishing a charity providing social housing – they also significantly profited during the famine, shipping their barley and other crops to England while nearly one million people starved to death.

‘When you look at the wealth they were living in and just up the road there’s the famine and kids going hungry, I don’t think these are necessarily good people we are playing,’ Anthony shared.

‘If you have that much social capital and wealth and you don’t do good with it… though they did. The reason I like the show is that I don’t feel like we are playing heroes or villains – we are playing three-dimensional complex people, and it exists in the grey area. My feelings about the Guinness family at that time aren’t black and white,’ he added.

In one particularly poignant episode, Anne is travelling to one of the family’s estates in the west of the country when she becomes stuck in a village and discovers the devastation wrought by the famine, while her family feasted just miles away.

Niamh McCormack looked to Irish republican women when taking on the character of Ellen Cochrane (Picture: Ben Blackall/ Netflix) Jack Gleeson’s Byron Hedges helps the family expand into America (Picture: Ben Blackall/ Netflix)