The Gentlemen

TOFFS & robbers

Available from Thursday 7 March Netflix

The aristocracy and the criminal classes have much in common, writes Guy Ritchie, as he unveils his new gangster caper starring Vinnie Jones

THE GENTLEMEN is a sojourn with aristocrats but in the world of gangsters. The eightpart series – inspired by a film of the same name that I made in 2019 – weaves together the different fabrics and textures of English culture and society. It is about the second son of a duke, Eddie Horniman, who overtakes his older brother to inherit when their father dies. But Eddie has to navigate his way when he finds out that his estate is a cover for a cannabis farm.

As we all know, in aristocracy there’s famously an heir and a spare. The spare traditionally has to find another job outside of the family. In this case, Eddie is a soldier in the British Army and has to apply that set of skills to the running of a cannabis business. But having not anticipated inheriting this position, he’s slightly out of his depth on the day-to-day machinations of managing the estate, never mind a drug empire.

There’s a running theme: the difference between being educated in the zoo and being educated in the jungle. For Eddie, the Army is the equivalent of the zoo, so he has to make the transition to the jungle and learn how to hunt and survive.

Delving into the worlds of toffs and gangsters is interesting because they’re so disparate. Fusing those two cultural systems together is really where all the fun lies. What you’re after is the reconciliation of paradoxes.

Traditionally, old money tries to hide its money and new money shows it off. We watch those differing inherited positions evolve, as old money rubs off a bit on new, and new rubs off on the old – the unambiguous avarice of the emerging class alongside the knackered and slightly shameful aristocrats.

Rather selfishly I make things for myself, but if you like the worlds I create, you should like The Gentlemen. And I’m just very happy to have Vinnie Jones back in my life again. There’s been a hole in my soul the shape of Vinnie Jones for the last 20 years, which has now been filled.

■ You play Eddie, the lead in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, who inherits his father’s estate. What drew you to the role?

I liked the idea of working with Guy Ritchie – his films had a huge effect on me, growing up. I loved his bombastic and stylish approach. Beyond that, I liked the idea of deconstructing class. There’s a line in the series that struck me – “Lords