Netflix is raising the bar for historical drama with "House of Guinness," a sweeping new series from acclaimed "Peaky Blinders" creator Steven Knight. Premiering Thursday, September 25, 2025, the show delves into the high-stakes world of the Guinness brewing dynasty, blending fact and fiction to capture the family’s struggles, ambitions, and the legacy that still shapes the famous brand today.
Set in the late 19th century, "House of Guinness" opens in 1868, just after the death of Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, the man who transformed his family’s brewery into a global powerhouse. As the patriarch’s four children—Arthur, Anne, Benjamin, and Edward—are left to steer the future of the brewery, the series promises a potent mix of family drama, political intrigue, and business maneuvering. According to BBC, Knight was immediately struck by the real-life drama and complexity of the Guinness family’s story: "It was immediate that I realised this is an incredible drama and story. The characters, events and how it all intermeshed with history and what was going on at the time."
While the Guinness name is synonymous with Irish stout worldwide, the family’s internal battles have rarely been explored on screen. Malcolm Purinton, a beer historian at Northeastern University, notes that even in academic circles, the Guinness family’s internal drama is underrepresented: "At the heart of the show is real history that, despite Guinness’ global fame, has been little told even in the history books." As Purinton explains, the show’s focus on the pivotal years after Sir Benjamin’s death helps make sense of Guinness’s enduring influence, especially in light of the brewery’s recent record-breaking sales and expansion into Chicago.
The drama kicks off as Sir Benjamin’s will leaves the brewery in the hands of his eldest and youngest sons, Arthur and Edward—a decision that sets the stage for inevitable conflict. Purinton elaborates, "The Arthur [decision] makes sense, just how things generally go to the oldest son. But the younger one: Edward was only 21. He was not even allowed to be the main guy. He wouldn’t have been allowed to take over the whole company." Yet Edward’s business acumen quickly becomes apparent, and over the next eight years, he assumes more responsibility as Arthur drifts toward a political career, leaving the brewery’s fate increasingly in his younger brother’s hands.
By 1876, the simmering tension reaches a head. Edward, now 29, offers Arthur a buyout—£600,000, a staggering sum equivalent to roughly £60.3 million today. With this deal, Edward becomes the sole owner of Guinness and sets about transforming the company into a global juggernaut. As Purinton puts it, "Edward transforms Guinness. He kind of makes Guinness global in a way it wasn’t quite before." The numbers back him up: by 1879, Guinness was selling 565,000 casks of stout, and by 1886, that figure had ballooned to 635,000 in Ireland alone, with hundreds of thousands more shipped to Britain and beyond.
Edward’s most audacious move came in 1886, when he took Guinness public on the London Stock Exchange, selling 65% of his shares and becoming the richest man in Ireland. This bold step not only secured his own fortune—allowing him to retire as a multimillionaire at 40—but also cemented Guinness’s place in business history. Purinton describes the move as "gargantuan" in the annals of business: "He says, ‘We want to expand more. I’m going to sell 65% of my shares in this public offering on the London Stock Exchange.’ It is insane how much money they made. It was just an absurd amount."
But "House of Guinness" isn’t just about boardroom battles and balance sheets. The series is populated by a vibrant cast of characters, both real and imagined. Anthony Boyle portrays Arthur Guinness, the eldest son and a politician-philanthropist. Louis Partridge takes on the role of Edward, the ambitious third son who would become the architect of the modern Guinness empire. Emily Fairn plays Anne Guinness, the family’s only daughter, renowned for her charity work in Dublin, while Fionn O’Shea appears as the less-involved second son, Benjamin.
The show’s supporting cast adds further depth, with David Wilmot as the fictional Bonnie Champion, Jack Gleeson (of "Game of Thrones" fame) as Byron Hughes, and Niamh McCormack as Ellen Cochrane, a member of the rebellious Fenian Brotherhood. Danielle Galligan brings Lady Olivia Hedges to life, Arthur’s aristocratic wife and, according to BBC, "the richest woman in Britain and Ireland at the time after the monarch." Michael McElhatton and Seamus O’Hara round out the ensemble in key supporting roles.
Steven Knight, known for his knack for turning family power struggles into global TV sensations, is candid about the creative liberties taken in "House of Guinness." He tells BBC, "Some of the historical events are so amazing and unexpected you wouldn’t make them up yourself." While the series is rooted in real events, Knight blends fact and fiction to heighten the drama, introducing characters like Sean Rafferty, the brewery’s foreman, played by James Norton. Norton describes his character as "an amalgamation of lots of different people" and relished the challenge of researching Guinness history: "I read the first four scripts all at once and it was a no-brainer."
The production’s authenticity is further enhanced by its predominantly Irish cast, a choice that brought both pride and pressure. Norton admits to BBC, "Most of the actors in the series were Irish, something that added a level of pressure when it came to perfecting the accent." For Galligan, the opportunity to portray Lady Olivia and bring an iconic Irish story to a global audience was a "once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience."
"House of Guinness" has already drawn comparisons to Knight’s earlier work, as well as to shows like "Succession" and "The Crown." But Knight is unfazed by these parallels, insisting, "People say every project is a cross between stuff and I don’t take that too seriously, I’m confident that this is its own thing." For viewers, the result is a series that combines the swagger of "Peaky Blinders" with the emotional complexity of a true family saga, all set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing Ireland.
As Guinness enjoys a new wave of global popularity—recently opening a brewery in Chicago to meet skyrocketing demand—"House of Guinness" offers a timely exploration of the brand’s roots and the family drama that shaped it. The series stands as both a tribute to and a reimagining of one of the world’s most enduring beer empires, promising viewers a heady mix of history, intrigue, and, of course, plenty of stout.
