House of Guinness: All you need to know about the new Netflix series
Kenneth Fox
With The Traitors Ireland coming to an end on Tuesday night, Irish viewers might be looking for another show to watch as the cold weather starts to creep in.
Look no further than the House of Guinness, set to release on Netflix this Thursday, September 25th.
19th-century Dublin and New York are the backdrop for this new drama series, and if you are wondering what it is about and who stars in it, here is all you need to know:
What is the show about?
House of Guinness will focus on the consequences of the death of Benjamin Guinness, the man responsible for the success of the Guinness brewery.
Set between 19th-century Dublin and New York, the series will look at the fate of his four adult children, Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben, as well as a group of Dublin characters who work and interact with the growing juggernaut that is Guinness.
In his new drama series, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will swap the mean streets of Birmingham for the back alleys and stately mansions of Dublin — as well as its world-renowned brewery.
It whisks us back to the 1860s, where the powerful and unhinged titular family is on the precipice of greatness.
“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,” Knight says. “The first priority is: Don’t screw it up. And the second priority is to make Guinness even bigger.”
He is excited for audiences to meet the “naturally wild” clan. “I’m just in awe of their zest for life — their lust for life, often literally,” he says.
Who stars in the show?
The show stars several Irish actors, including Belfast's Anthony Boyle (Arthur Guinness), Fionn O'Shea (Benjamin Guinness), Jack Gleeson (Byron Huhges), and Niamh Rose McCormack (Ellen Cochrane), to name a few.
English actors Louis Partridge (Edward Guinness), Emily Fairn (Anne Guinness), and James Norton (Sean Raffertry) are also part of the cast.
Speaking recently, James Norton said he “worked hard” to perfect his Dublin accent for his upcoming series.
Norton, who plays the foreman of the Guinness brewery, said, “I worked hard. I was aware that many actors have gotten it wrong, and the Irish are a proud bunch, so if you get it wrong, you hear about it."
"I worked hard and had great guidance from my fellow cast members.”
When can I watch the show?
The eight-episode series will be available for Netflix users to watch on Thursday, September 25th.
English director Tom Shankland will direct the first five episodes, with Lebanese director Mounia Akl at the helm for the final three.
The show was mainly shot in Cheshire, Stockport in Greater Manchester, and Liverpool.
House of Guinness is one of a selection of new shows with Irish links coming to the streaming platform over the next two years.
An adaptation of Marian Keyes' novel Grown Ups is also set to hit the small screen, while Jamie Dornan will appear in a new crime series called The Undertow.