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The foggy streets of Birmingham are behind us now. Steven Knight, the mastermind who gave us PEAKY BLINDERS, is trading razor-blade caps and cigarette smoke for something far more intoxicating: the dark, frothy legacy of Ireland’s most notorious brewing dynasty. When HOUSE OF GUINNESS premieres on Netflix this September 25, audiences won’t just be witnessing another lavish period drama about wealth and power—they’ll be diving headfirst into the shocking true story of a family whose scandals, betrayals, and generational secrets have somehow managed to stay buried beneath centuries of perfectly poured pints.

This is the story that Ireland never wanted told, the one that transforms your casual pub visit into something far more sinister. Set against the backdrop of 1860s Dublin and New York, the eight-part series zeroes in on one of the most explosive moments in brewing history: the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness in 1868 and the catastrophic aftermath of his will reading. Benjamin wasn’t just another wealthy industrialist—he was the grandson of Arthur Guinness himself, the visionary who famously signed that audacious 9,000-year lease on St. James’s Gate Brewery in 1759, essentially betting on eternity. Under Benjamin’s iron grip, the family business had evolved from a local Dublin operation into a global empire, their signature black stout flowing through the veins of the British Empire and beyond.

But empires built on liquid gold are particularly vulnerable to family poison, and Benjamin’s death ignited a feud that would make the Peaky Blinders look like choirboys. The series follows his four adult children—Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben—as they navigate the treacherous waters of inheritance, ambition, and sibling rivalry. Anthony Boyle, Louis Partridge, Emily Fairn, and Fionn O’Shea embody these young heirs who suddenly find themselves custodians of “black gold,” facing the terrifying prospect of either expanding their grandfather’s legacy or watching it crumble under the weight of their own desires.

Knight describes his fascination with this “naturally wild” clan, particularly their “zest for life—their lust for life, often literally.” It’s this raw, unapologetic appetite that drives the narrative, transforming what could have been a dry historical chronicle into something visceral and immediate. The recently released photos reveal siblings caught between ecstatic highs and heartbreaking lows, their faces reflecting the intoxicating burden of being born into greatness while simultaneously being capable of destroying it.

What makes HOUSE OF GUINNESS particularly compelling is how it illuminates the human cost of building an empire. These aren’t just wealthy heirs playing with their inheritance—they’re young people grappling with impossible expectations, their every decision capable of toppling a dynasty that took generations to build. Knight’s genius lies in recognizing that the most interesting stories aren’t about the creation of empires, but about their potential destruction from within.

The series promises to explore not just the family dynamics, but the broader ecosystem that sustained the Guinness phenomenon—the workers, the politicians, the hangers-on, and the countless Dublin characters whose lives became intertwined with the brewery’s success. This is Ireland during a period of massive transformation, when old ways were dying and new opportunities were emerging for those bold enough or ruthless enough to seize them.

For Knight, who earned an Oscar nomination for his previous work, this represents a natural evolution from the grimy streets of post-war Birmingham to the equally complex but more opulent world of Victorian Dublin. The themes remain consistent—family loyalty, the corruption of power, the price of ambition—but the stakes feel even higher when your family name is literally synonymous with Ireland itself.

HOUSE OF GUINNESS arrives at a moment when audiences are hungry for stories that blend historical authenticity with contemporary relevance. This isn’t just about understanding how a brewery became a global brand; it’s about examining how families navigate the impossible pressure of living up to legendary legacies while dealing with very human flaws and desires. The Guinness name may be on every pub wall across the world, but the family behind it has remained mysteriously private—until now.