Introducing

Anthony Boyle is Arthur Guinness

“I play Arthur, the eldest. He left Ireland early on and went to Eton. He rejected his Irishness; he’s a classic, what we Irish would call a ‘West Brit’ — someone who aspires to be more English than Irish. Arthur loves the trappings of high society and likes British rule. He’s in London having a lovely time, living his authentic, true self, when his father dies and he has to return home.

“He thinks he’s going to get a chunk of money from his father’s will. But he ends up tied to his brother Edward; they have to run the brewery and share all the money — or else they both get nothing. Arthur has also been concealing his sexuality. He’s gay — this was true — and he met partners at Eton. He just wants to go to London, have sex, drink, smoke, and have the craic. Whereas Edward lives the Guinness brand, as we’d say now.”

Louis Partridge is Edward Guinness

“Edward is the youngest brother and, along with Arthur, the inheritor of the brewery. He’s lived in his father’s shadow, and he’s always thought, ‘Once Dad pops his clogs, I’m going to run this brewery my way.’ He has ideas, he’s a bit of a strategist and is quite confident in his ability to grow the business. He’s a champion of social benevolence — he pioneered the pension, which is amazing — but it’s because to him benevolence equals votes, votes equals power, power equals expansion, and expansion equals profits. He has ideas to expand Guinness into the New World — ideas that we now know worked.

“His problem is the rest of his family. Benjamin’s a complete f***-up and a liability; Arthur’s gay in a time when you could not be gay, and Anne’s sleeping with Rafferty [James Norton]. He just wants these problems to go away so he can concentrate on the business. But then he meets someone he shouldn’t and realises that there’s a life outside the brewery.”

Emily Fairn is Anne Plunket (née Guinness)

“The eldest daughter of Benjamin Guinness, Anne is a very strong woman, particularly for this period when everything is piled against her. But when she’s given nothing in the will, she doesn’t know what to do with herself.

“She has a degenerative disease, which we believe was MS, so she’s desperately trying to make more of her life, but both society and her own health are pushing her down. Plus, she’s in an arranged marriage in which she’s deeply unhappy.”

Fionn O’Shea is Benjamin Guinness

“Middle son, Benjamin, is the black sheep. He has amassed a pretty significant gambling debt and is an alcoholic and a drug addict. When his father Benjamin Sr dies, Ben receives nothing in his will. It’s the final straw for him, so he quits Ireland, gets sober and joins the military in the UK. There’s a honeymoon period when he has money, a house in London, even an arranged marriage. But eventually he realises that none of these things will bring him happiness. That’s when he starts to unravel.”

James Norton is Sean Rafferty

“Rafferty’s a lapsed Catholic from south of Dublin, with a military background — we reckon he fought in the Crimea – who found himself working for the Guinnesses.
He’s the foreman of the brewery, officially. In actuality, he’s the fixer who runs things for the family – he’s known throughout Dublin as the man who will get his hands very dirty if needs be, but then the next day he’s in a smart shirt talking about balance sheets.

“His weakness is love. And sex. He has these complicated relationships with women of high status. And while normally he’s cool and reptilian, he starts to fall in love and it terrifies him.

“I have to say that until Steven Knight’s scripts came along, I hadn’t pictured myself doing a thick Dublin accent in mid-19th century Ireland. But when I read it, it’s Steven at his absolute best, firing on all cylinders.”

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