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Steven Knight’s TV shows are often associated with gritty violence. But the writer assures us – the violence he includes is ‘always justified’.
This week, his new historical drama House of Guinness has launched on Netflix, telling the tale of the Guinness family in 19th-century Dublin following the death of patriarch Sir Benjamin Guinness.
Steven, whose most celebrated work is arguably the acclaimed series Peaky Blinders, has a personal connection to the story, considering he used to run a brewery himself with his siblings.
‘It was around 2005, and I was interested in beer and lager and set up a brewery in Staffordshire and worked with my brothers and sisters,’ he told Metro.
‘It was quite similar, but at a tiny scale. It was lots and lots of fun, but it ended up getting too big in the end, and I sold it. It’s called Freedom Brewery. I’ve been back to the village but not the brewery, but they’re doing a great job, and I’ve tried the beer quite recently, and it’s quite good.’
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Steven might have the skills of a brewer, but thankfully for us entertainment fans, he continued creating some of the best TV Britain has to offer.
When he launched his brewery, he’d already found success as a screenwriter, working on screenplays for the films Dirty Pretty Things and Eastern Promises.
He’d also co-created the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and was behind the BBC sitcom All About Me.
Although it’s now been several years since Steven sold up, his latest TV project allowed the self-confessed ‘beer snob’ to again focus on the tipple.
House of Guinness, which is set in 19th-century Dublin and New York, ‘explores an epic story inspired by one of Europe’s most famous and enduring dynasties’.
The drama kicks off in the aftermath of the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness – whose grandfather established the famed brewery – and how his will had a far-reaching impact on his four children and countless others.
The siblings are played by Anthony Boyle as Arthur Guinness, Louis Partridge as Edward Guinness, Emily Fairn as Anne Plunket and Fionn O’Shea as Benjamin Guinness.
The idea to explore the explosive events of the time came from a conversation with Ivana Lowell, Sir Benjamin’s great-great-great-granddaughter.
‘There’s a kind of recklessness about them, and it’s so endearing as a family that has a tradition that goes all the way to the present day. It was particularly fascinating around 1868, which is when I wanted to start the show,’ he explained.
As each episode explains, it is ‘fiction inspired by true stories’. But the historical facts that Steven stumbled across provided plenty of detail to work with.
‘So much of the true stuff are things that people will think is made up. The most amazing things are all real. The will that was left, that tied two of the brothers together and left the daughter and the other brother penniless. The marriage blanc of Arthur – which is real. All the way through it’s amazing. It was a question of the stepping stones of fact and weaving a way in between,’ he said.
At the time of Sir Benjamin’s death, he was worth £162million in today’s money and had a string of estates across Ireland and the UK.
When his son Edward took over and expanded the business, the family’s wealth grew exponentially.
However, many will likely be surprised to learn of their philanthropic efforts, setting up one of the world’s first employee pension schemes and pouring funds into social housing.
As Steven explains: ‘The great thing about them is they are incredibly wealthy, and tend towards aristocratic, but at the same time have this seemingly natural affiliation with artists, writers and rebels.
‘Also, let’s not forget, over the years they have given so much of their wealth to genuine causes, which I don’t think billionaires these days don’t necessarily feel obliged to.’
At the same time that the Guinnesses were building their wealth, Ireland was in upheaval, with the family facing the ire of both Christian groups who opposed their production of alcohol and Fenians who were pushing back against the British ruling classes and fighting for Irish independence.
In one explosive scene in the first episode, protestors do their best to disrupt the funeral procession of Sir Benjamin, with a bloody fight breaking out.
Explaining the decision to include more violent scenes like this, Steven said it was a necessary addition.
‘It was quite a violent time and there was a lot of upheaval in Ireland – not just in politics but also in everyday life. In any major city, they were quite violent places. If you portrayed it without that, you’d be looking the other way when maybe you don’t need to,’ he said.
‘But I always try and make sure that if there is any violence in what I write, it has consequences and people don’t just dust themselves off and it’s all fine. I think it’s all always justified.’
Asked about the similarities between the Guinnesses and Peaky’s Shelbys, Steven laughs and declares: ‘Well, I’d say the Shelbys are more ruthless, and on the wrong side of the law more often. But there are similarities – that family loyalty.’
On the subject of the beloved period crime drama, fans are counting down for its big screen debut, with the movie The Immortal Man on its way.
Although Steven is unable to say much more (and is also unable to share a single thing about writing the next James Bond film), he does tease the following.
‘You just wait – this movie is so good. I was watching a cut yesterday with virtually all the bells and whistles on, and it’s really good,’ he said. Asked if any more movies could be on the cards, he simply shares: ‘Watch this space…’
After creating Peaky, Steven has also created a string of other successful shows, including SAS: Rogue Heroes, All the Light We Cannot See and A Thousand Blows.
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But when looking back at his past projects from throughout his career, are there any he wishes had gained bigger fan bases or run for longer?
‘You do so many things, and I’m going back quite a long time. It’s a bit like having kids I suppose – you want them all to do well. And the ones that don’t, you go, “Oh well they were all right”,’ he chuckles.
‘But it is what it is. I used to do comedy, and I loved doing that, but I am always looking to the next thing.’
House of Guinness is streaming from Thursday on Netflix.
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