Move over Peaky Blinders. There’s a gritty new period drama in town with eyes on your crown. Well kinda.
House of Guinness, Netflix’s new September entry focusing on the lives of the famous Guinness family, is actually from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight himself.
The series, set in 1860’s Dublin and New York, focuses on the powerful and debaucherous titular family, who find themselves on the precipice of greatness. We begin just after the death of family Patriarch Sir Benjamin Guinness, the man responsible for the extraordinary success of the Guinness brewery, and the far-reaching impact of his will on the fate of his four adult children, Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben, along with the show’s other characters.
“It’s the extraordinary story of a family who happens to be the inheritors of the biggest brewery in the world. They’re young and are given the task of taking on this incredibly successful brand,” Steven Knight told Netflix. “The first priority is: Don’t screw it up. And the second priority is to make Guinness even bigger.”
The upcoming series boasts an impressive ensemble cast, bringing together a wealth of talent from across television and film. Leading the lineup is Anthony Boyle, known for his roles in Masters of the Air and Manhunt, portraying Arthur Guinness, alongside Louis Partridge of Pistol and Enola Holmes fame as sibling Edward Guinness.
This duo will form the bones of the show, according to Knight. “I won’t give away the plot — but they were given joint stewardship of the brewery for very interesting reasons,” he says. “Before he died, their father very deliberately chained Arthur and Edward together in responsibility for the brewery. You’ll find out why when you watch.”
Also starring are Emily Fairn, from The Responder and Black Mirror: Demon 79 fame. Farin takes on the role of Anne Plunket (née Guinness), while Fionn O’Shea, seen in Normal People and Dance First, plays Benjamin Guinness.
James Norton, celebrated for Happy Valley and Bob Marley: One Love, stars as Sean Rafferty, with Niamh McCormack of Everything Now and The Magic Flute as Ellen Cochrane and Seamus O’Hara from Blue Lights and An Irish Goodbye as Patrick Cochrane.
The cast is further enriched by Michael McElhatton, a Game of Thrones alum, as John Potter, and Dervla Kirwan of True Detective: Night Country and Smother as Aunt Agnes Guinness.
Michael Colgan, featured in Say Nothing and The Regime, plays Reverend Henry Gratton, while Danielle Galligan of Shadow and Bone and Obituary embodies Lady Olivia Hedges.
David Wilmot, known for Station Eleven and Bodkin, appears as Bonnie Champion, with Jessica Reynolds of Kneecap and The Wolf, the Fox and the Leopard as Lady Christine O’Madden.
Hilda Fay, seen in The Woman in the Wall and Spilt Milk, takes on the role of Sultan, while Ann Skelly of The Nevers and The Sandman plays Adelaide Guinness.
Rounding out the ensemble are Elizabeth Dulau, recognized from Andor and Wicked, as Lady Henrietta St Lawrence, and Jack Gleeson, returning to the screen post-Game of Thrones and In the Land of Saints and Sinners, as Byron Hedges.
House of Guinness is helmed by creator and executive producer Knight, joined by a team of executive producers including Karen Wilson, Elinor Day, Martin Haines, Tom Shankland, and Ivana Lowell.
Cahal Bannon serves as the series producer, with Howard Burch contributing as a producer. Directorial duties are split between Shankland, who directed four episodes, and Mounia Akl, who directed two, bringing their visions to this Kudos production.
House of Guinness airs all 8 episodes of its first season on Sept. 25 on Netflix.
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