House of Guinness is our latest binge watch obsession. We already can't get enough of all the scandal and debauchery of the series, which tracks the fascinating Guinness family, who are left in charge of Benjamin Guinness' brewing empire. Cue a Succession-style power struggle.
The show blends historical context with creative liberties, to create a compelling picture of 19th century Ireland, and the political backdrop at the time. 'If you were writing fiction,' the show's creator Steven Knight told GQ, 'you’d invent that, and people would say, "Really?" But this is real.'
Without further ado, here's what we know about Reverend Henry Grattan, a character in the show who has some IRL inspiration...
Who is Reverend Henry Grattan?
Reverend Henry Grattan, aka Henry Grattan Guinness, was Arthur Guinness' nephew. However, rather than following in his wealthy relation's footsteps, Grattan reinvented himself as a scholar of biblical prophecy, after discovering he had a gift for speaking to people while at New College in London.
He went on to become an independent evangelist of the second Evangelical Awakening. Over the course of 15 years, he travelled and preached around Europe and North America, before settling in East London and founding Harley College, a training institute for missionaries.
In 1860, Henry married Fanny Fitzgerald. Fanny went on to travel with him and became a well-known speaker in her own right. When Fanny died in 1898, Henry married Grace Hurditch, and they had two sons.
Who plays Reverend Henry Grattan in House Of Guinness?
Reverend Henry Grattan is played by Michael Colgan on the show. Colgan is a writer, actor and academic, who is currently a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Queen Mary University of London. He's had a number of starring roles on the big screen, including in The Crown, Marcella, Say Nothing, The Regime, Chernobyl and Happy Valley and The Thick Of It. With such an impressive list of accolades, it's little wonder that Colgan is a familiar face on our screens!
When is House of Guinness on Netflix?
The wait is finally over. You can stream all eight episodes of House of Guinness on Netflix from today. You just need a Netflix subscription to watch them.
Alice Hall is the Staff Writer at Grazia UK. She was previously a Junior Features Writer for The Daily Telegraph. At Grazia, she writes news and features about pop culture, dating, health, politics and interiors.