James Norton Says House of Guinness Has Peaky Blinders DNA — But the Twist That Sets It Apart Will Surprise You
Norton is having a blast as Rafferty, calling it probably the most fun of his career.
James Norton is back on our screens this week, trading the Dales of Happy Valley for the smoke and steel of Dublin in House of Guinness, Steven Knight's new period drama for Netflix. If you hear Peaky Blinders in your head when you see Knight's name, you're not wrong — Norton says this one carries a bit of that DNA, but it isn't a copy-paste job.
The quick version
- What: House of Guinness, an 8-part historical drama from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight
- Who: James Norton leads as Sean Rafferty; cast also includes Anthony Boyle, Louis Partridge, Emily Fairn, and Fionn O'Shea
- Premise: The show dives into the real-life Guinness family, with Norton's Rafferty as the brewery's foreman and the family's fixer
- When: Arrives on Netflix Thursday 25 September 2025
- Where to watch: Netflix (also available via Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream)
- Price: Plans start from £5.99/month
Norton on why he signed on: four scripts, one sitting
Norton told RadioTimes.com that the hook was immediate. He got the first four scripts in one drop, read them straight through, and came away convinced Knight was in top gear. The way Knight writes, Norton said, you can practically smell the place — soot in the air, chimneys coughing up black smoke — right there on the page. Between that, the character of Sean Rafferty, and a stacked cast and crew, it was, in his words, a no-brainer.
Peaky vibes without the cosplay
He does think fans of Knight's most famous show will feel a familiar pulse here — the grit, the swagger — but he's clear this is its own beast.
"Steven is constantly unpredictable, in that way good writers are."
That unpredictability runs through the story, but Norton pushed back on calling it plot heavy. The twists are there and the momentum barrels along, sure, but Knight also lets scenes breathe. And here's the inside baseball bit: some later episodes lean into long, two-hander dialogue runs — six pages at a time — that most TV would chop up with an explosion or a cutaway. Knight just sits you in the room and trusts the actors to carry it. It is very playwright energy, and Norton clearly loves that confidence.
Meet Sean Rafferty: foreman, fixer, problem you can't quite solve
Norton calls Rafferty a full-tilt badass and says playing him has been the most fun he has had on a job. The guy runs the brewery floor and moonlights as the family's fixer — part manager, part enforcer, part gentleman with a code. He can be terrifying and violent when he needs to keep control, but he also commands respect, shows flashes of warmth, and carries a bit of playful swagger. In other words, contradictions on legs — the kind of knot actors like to keep untying. Tom Shankland, the show's first director, apparently nudged Norton to lean into that swagger. And even after filming, Norton says Rafferty still feels like a mystery he is not done chasing.
Oh, and those twists?
Could Norton see them coming as he read the scripts? Not a chance. He says Knight kept him guessing the whole way through. More importantly, he thinks by the end you will be living with these characters, not just following their plot mechanics — which, frankly, is exactly the pitch you want for an eight-part binge.