House of Guinness Recap Episode 1: A new generation takes over an empire

House of Guinness Season 1 Episode 1

On the day of the funeral of Benjamin Lee Guinness — magnate, politician, philanthropist — the family muscle, Rafferty (James Norton), told the Guinness brewery employees, ‘Each of you grab a means of persuasion.’ He meant weapons, which would later be used in dispersing the Fenians who attacked the funeral cortege as it made its way to the Catholic cathedral that the protestant Benjamin paid to renovate. Extreme wealth existed alongside casual violence, and I wonder with what eye House of Guinness would view its historically very wealthy subjects. Skeptically? Generously? 

The first episode made me think it would lean toward the latter, and whilst that is not necessarily a bad thing, it would also require some deft handling, especially since the show came out at a time when people the world over are processing the social impact of wealth, from its building to the exercise of its sheer power. There are signs of a pendulum swing, from casual observers impressed with shows of extreme wealth in social media, to being appalled by its grotesque display, especially in the context of national conditions. Look up what’s going on in Nepal and the Philippines. Look at royal family commentary on Twitter. Things that were ignored or even admired over the past decade are seeing more criticism now. 

With the death of the patriarch who held the business together, the eyes of Dublin society were now on his children. Arthur (Anthony Boyle) was the eldest, expected to inherit not just the brewery that was the source of the family wealth and power, but the seat at the House of Commons as well. Benjamin (Fionn O’Shea) was the second brother, a gambler and alcoholic, currently in debt to underworld boss Bonnie Champion (David Wilmot). Edward (Louis Partridge) was the third brother, focused and ambitious, and the only one who had spent the last few years actually working at the brewery. Anne (Emily Fairn) was the only daughter, married to a man she tolerated and cheated on (with Rafferty) and intent on exercising her voice as a Guinness especially in the family’s charitable donations. 

The bulk of the episode was spent on the night of the funeral, with Arthur and Edward accepting condolences from their moneyed guests as dancing went on in their palatial home. They both expected Arthur to inherit the business; Edward offered to buy it from him, and give him a share of the profits on top of that. It was a generous offer to someone who did not at all want the brewery. Edward, however, could not take the burden of politics from Arthur. Indeed, Edward expected Arthur to take their father’s seat so he could represent the family’s interests. 

As Arthur and Edward played the heirs to a great fortune, Benjamin suffered in secret. He asked a girl who looked smitten with him, Christine (Jessica Reynolds), to bring him a gun. Frightened of his intentions, Christine brought the gun but did not bring bullets. However, Benjamin had no intention of killing himself. He claimed to want the gun as protection because he owned Bonnie Champion a large sum of money. People who owed that much usually ended up dead.

One hundred and seventy pounds. That was Benjamin’s debt. To put that in context, his father spent one hundred and fifty thousand pounds to renovate St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Benjamin was clearly a mess and it was probably right that Arthur did not trust with him money, but it was a testament to their fractured relationship that whilst he feared for his life, he did not ask for his siblings’ help.

Christine offered to pay his debt herself, but with the promise that when they marry, Benjamin would cease what she called the ‘madness’. ‘I am the madness’, Benjamin told her as he rejected her offer. Arthur was skeptical of Christine, who came from an aristocratic though no longer wealthy family, and suspicious that she was inserting herself into Benjamin’s life the day before the reading of their father’s will. Edward stated plainly that Christine actually loved Benjamin. So Edward was a focused businessman with a heart? 

Edward may have been focused on the brewery and his longed for expansion into America, but he also did not miss what was happening with his siblings. Unlike Arthur, Edward knew of Anne’s dalliance with Rafferty. Perhaps it was not so much that Edward paid particular attention to his siblings, and more because he had a good intelligence network, primarily, the family butler Potter (Michael McElhatton).

The sibling tensions aside, they put a show of family solidarity when they needed to. It was Anne who gathered them together, who made them hold hands. There was an early shot of the four of them going down the stairs of their palatial home — Arthur walking ahead of everyone, the presumed heir to power and fortune, Edward following him but looking back at his two other siblings, Benjamin offering his arm to Anne (who looked a bit weak, perhaps ill). The selfish eldest son. The middle brother who knew his duty laid ahead but looked into the rest of his family. The messy brother who was the only one to lend a hand to their sister. That was a well shot character introduction. 

On the other end of the wealth divide were the Fenians, who wanted freedom for Ireland and resented the Guinness ties to the ruling Protestant class in England. Patrick Cochrane (Seamus O’Hara) was a local Fenian organiser who led the attack on the funeral cortege and, later, the fire at the brewery. His sister Ellen (Niamh McCormack) was also a well known Fenian organiser, who wanted to use non-violent strategy to further their cause. What Ellen wanted was to weaponise secrets. The old Guinness who passed had none they could exploit. The children, though, were an entirely different matter. Ellen was particularly focused on Arthur, whom she wanted to pressure to support their cause. 

In pursuit of Guinness secrets, Ellen went to see Bonnie Champion, who ran exports for the family but who also maintained a side business of gambling and prostitution at the docks. Ellen offered him a one-year holiday of the 10% tax he currently paid the Brotherhood in exchange for information. Bonnie told her about Benjamin’s gambling, but what Ellen wanted was information about Arthur that was not related to gambling. Since Ellen mentioned to her brother that her sources included maids who worked in the Guinness house, it looked like she already knew whatever it was that Arthur was hiding, and was simply looking for more details, or perhaps confirmation. Whether Bonnie would have given them to her, it was not clear, because their conversation was interrupted by the massive fire that Patrick and his group started. 

Ellen immediately knew it was her brother’s doing, and she went closer to watch the fire, perhaps already thinking of what would happen to Patrick. That was a mistake. Rafferty asked Bonnie if he’d seen any Fenians that night, and whilst Bonnie denied it, he also mentioned someone he called a secretary who was lost. Rafferty spotted Ellen through the flames. Her presence provided a direct link to her brother. ‘Now the fun starts’, Bonnie murmured, like a character who did not have particular loyalties, but would enjoy mess, even a potentially violent one. 

The first episode of House of Guinness ended with Benjamin outside getting into a carriage with Christine, and Arthur and Edward discussing business until Anne joined them. It was the end of a long day, and there was already this visual of a sibling removed from the others. Edward remained fired up with business plans and was dismissive, at least initially, of Arthur in torment. It was Anne who went and held him in comfort. The small detail of Edward tilting his head and look at his siblings, his face slightly softer, was another bit of character work. 

First episodes tend to be about setting the story and introducing the characters, and House of Guinness did this, and did this well. Since the subject is a family with near unimaginable wealth, what I am looking for are tonal clarity and bite. As much as I enjoyed this first episode – and I do tend to enjoy period dramas in general – I am still looking for more of both. 

Rating: B

Strays

👑May 7, 1868 was the start of the tale, about 10 years after the founding of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. 

👑There was a shot of Arthur and Edward at Iveagh House, with Arthur expertly tying his tie and Edward struggling with his (Anne had to help him). I appreciated the little touches to introduce their personalities. Benjamin was on the couch sleeping off a hangover.

👑There were two Guinness relations introduced, Aunt Agness (Dervla Kirwan), who reminded Arthur of the vacant parliamentary seat to be filled, as though he could have forgotten that, and Henry Gratan Guinness (Michael Colgan), who wanted assurances from the brothers that the financial support their father provided for his missionaries would continue. 

👑Would I grow to hate the loud modern music? I don’t mind them, currently, but I suppose we’ll see.

👑Who was Ogma and who was Dagda?

👑Did I enjoy Ellen shoving a gun at the gatekeeper’s face? Yes. 

👑Someone who likely worked there let Patrick and his group into the brewery.

Writer: Steven Knight

Director: Tom Shankland

Original Air Date: September 25, 2025

You can access Recap Lab’s full coverage of House of Guinness via this link.

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