An actual family member reveals six things Netflix’s House of Guinness gets wrong in the show

So, the number one Netflix drama about the famously wild Guinness dynasty, House of Guinness, was recently released, and now a family member has actually pointed out everything the show gets wrong.

The drama, from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, follows the children of Sir Benjamin Guinness as they squabble over money, power and the family’s Dublin empire after his death. Think scheming heirs, feuds, secret romances, and all the lavish parties you’d expect from a Netflix period saga.

Obviously, the show is inspired by real events. But some of the plot points are so different to the truth that Molly Guinness, a direct descendant, was left in what she described as “righteous fury.” In her The Times column, she even called the whole thing “very unfair.”

So, here are all the things the show gets wrong, according to her.

Sir Benjamin’s reputation

Benjamin via Netflix

The series opens with Sir Benjamin Guinness cast as a cold, patriarchal Logan Roy type, accused of letting his tenants starve in the famine and cutting children out of his will. But Molly insisted that this is far from reality. As she put it, “Very unfair: Benjamin was a loving father and a great philanthropist.”

In truth, he poured money into Dublin housing and clean water, and his children were responsible for much of the city’s rebuilding.

Arthur’s wild personal life

Arthur via Netflix

In the show, Arthur is portrayed as a reckless libertine with forbidden gay love affairs. Entertaining TV, yes, but Molly clarified, “Arthur’s (invented) gay exploits also allow for some rich comedy.”

Anne wasn’t scandalous

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Anne via Netflix

On screen, Anne has “a bit of rough on the side”. But Molly said the truth couldn’t be more different. “She devoted herself to helping the poor and the sick, and in a move that would send shivers down the spine of any self-respecting television producer, arranged Bible reading groups,” she said.

Not exactly racy Netflix content.

The show exaggerates marriages and romances

via Netflix

Netflix loves unhappy couples, so Molly said that Arthur and Olivia’s marriage is painted as a facade. Meanwhile, the show paints Edward (nicknamed Ned) as marrying Adelaide out of duty, while secretly loving a nationalist beauty from the docks. But Molly wrote that their marriage was genuinely affectionate. She said, “Adelaide died in her husband’s arms and her bedroom at Elveden remained untouched for the rest of Ned’s life, including the flowers which had stood there at her passing.”

Charity was genuine, not self-serving

via Netflix

Whenever the Guinness heirs give to charity in the show, it’s depicted as either shame-driven or self-serving. Molly argues this is unfair too, pointing out their extraordinary generosity: Donations to Shackleton’s expedition, housing trusts in London and Dublin, research into infectious diseases, and even the purchase of St Stephen’s Green, which Arthur landscaped and then gifted to Dublin.

Edward and Arthur weren’t fools

Edward via Netflix

The show turns Edward and Arthur into “knaves and fools,” but in reality, they were thoughtful, generous, and capable. Molly said, “All the characters come straight from a bingo card of modern clichés about rich people.”

In the series, Edward played by Louis Partridge is even shown taller and moustache-free, which isn’t true. Molly’s cousin told her, “Are we supposed to believe that Edward Cecil Guinness is the taller one without a moustache? He didn’t look anything like that.”

For Molly, the biggest frustration is that none of the characters feel true to who her ancestors really were. But she did admit that the show got one thing right: The Guinnesses really did know how to throw a party. Dublin’s 1881 fancy-dress ball was so over-the-top that local newspapers called it patriotic because it boosted the city’s economy. And she joked that the modern family would still be disappointed if they hosted a party where nobody disgraced themselves.

House Of Guinness is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. Featured image via Netflix.