David Farnor | On 28, Sep 2025

From SAS Rogue Heroes to A Thousand Blows, Steven Knight is rapidly assembling an empire of period dramas that swagger, swear and swap fisticuffs with the same flair that made Peaky Blinders such a hit. It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that he should take a fancy to the tale of the Guinness empire for his latest series – Netflix’s imaginatively titled drama, House of Guinness.

The series unfolds in Dublin, 1868, as Benjamin, the head of the household, has died – leaving his four children wondering who will inherit the throne. There’s Arthur (Anthony Boyle), Edward (Louis Partridge), Benjamin (Fionn O’Shea) and Anna (Emily Fairn). But, while they circle the business and its expansive array of estates – including the iconic factory in Dublin – another figure also emerges on the sidelines: Mr Rafferty (James Norton), the manager of said factory and a man who isn’t afraid to pull a few limbs off his enemies, not to mention the occasional pint.

Our introduction to this motley crew is as motley as you would expect from Knight, who segues from the funeral procession for Benjamin into a full-on dust-up in the streets, with an added bit of arson for good measure. Within the first hour, everu key player has popped up, punched someone else and announced their motivations and intentions with all the subtlety of needledrop turned up to 11. Large title cards leap into the fray to spell out themes of family, greed, power and betrayal that will shape the episodes to come.

If all that sounds a little too familiar to Peaky Blinders territory, though, House of Guinness succeeds because it carries added notes of depth beyond that frothy topper – and as the show moves on from its showboating opening chapter, things mellow into a more thoughtful and often moving affair.

James Norton is still stealing every scene going as the ruthless Rafferty, wearing a coat like it’s a cape on rent from Count Dracula and threatening workers with a snarling charisma. He’s clearly having the time of his life. But the rest of the ensemble take up more screentime, as each fledgling heir apparent is explored. Anthony Boyle and Louis Partridge are excellent as Arthur and Edward, the two prominent sons who couldn’t be more different: Edward is too green around the gills, but Arthur’s angry temperament is only fuelled by the open secret of him being gay. While Fionn O’Shea is too busy drowning himself in self-pity to care for the family business, Emily Fairn is sharply observant as the overlooked Anne, whose main opportunity to wield any influence is finding Arthur a suitable parter.

Knight’s lyrical script balances political tensions and power struggles with inner conflicts and emotional admissions – and the more those forces collide, the more House of Guinness shapes up to be heady brew indeed. One wonders who will inherit Knight’s own empire in the future.

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