James Norton storms through a factory as a burly worker swinging from a chain above vats of malting barley shouts, “Do you think there’ll be trouble today?” Norton takes a drag of his cigarette and replies, “The man’s name is Guinness, of course there’ll be f***ing trouble.” Dear reader, put that on my gravestone. The actor is about to appear on screen in Netflix’s sexiest new dynastic drama, House of Guinness. AKA, my ancestors. The series is filled with political tension, violence, riots and, yes... many great actors bringing my long-gone family members to life on screen. It is based on the story of Sir Benjamin Guinness and his four children, to whom he leaves a vast empire on his death in 1868. Hello, Succession! They are tasked with keeping his dream (and the empire) alive. Devised by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, this is historical drama — but not a gentle costume piece.
House Of Guinness is based on an idea by Ivana Lowell, another member of the family. Apart from her I don’t believe other Guinnesses have been involved. Relatives I’ve spoken to are curious about the show, but view it as a reimagining rather than historical fact.
