A lavish tale of ambition, betrayal and brewing tensions

IF YOU haven't started binge-watch-ing House of Guinness, what are you waiting for?

- DEBASHINE THANGEVELO

ANTHONY Boyle as Arthur Guinness and Louis Partridge as Edward Guinness. | Netflix

The eight-part historical drama on Netflix is an intoxicating mix of scandal, power struggles, rebellion, forbidden romance, betrayal and political intrigue.

As with most influential families, the legacy is underpinned by delicious drama and secrets.

This series, inspired by the renowned family behind the Guinness brewing company in 19th-century Ireland and New York, opens with the passing of Benjamin Guinness, the man responsible for the extraordinary success of the Guinness brewery.

While his four children — Arthur Guinness ( Anthony Boyle), the eldest Guinness son, Edward Guinness (Louis Partridge), Anne Plunket (Emily Fairn), née Guinness, and Benjamin Lee Guinness II (Fionn O’Shea) — prepare to say their farewell, there is a rebellion brewing among the Fenian Brotherhood.

However, Sean Rafferty (James Norton), the head warehouse foreman and security for Guinness Brewery, keeps a beady eye on the rabble-rousers, preparing to act if the crowd gets out of hand.