GUY RITCHIE REVEALS HE FLED TO A HOTEL AFTER HANDING HIS SPRAWLING ESTATE OVER TO THE GENTLEMEN CAST

He may have opened the gates of his prized country estate to the cast of The Gentlemen.

But Guy Ritchie made sure he was safely ensconced in a nearby hotel while his stars took over the sprawling property.

The director, 57, handed over his 1,134-acre Ashcombe Estate in Wiltshire to film a lavish hunting party for the opening episode of his Netflix crime drama’s second series.

Yet asked what unfolded on his land once the cameras stopped rolling, Ritchie admitted he had deliberately kept his distance.

Speaking at the show’s world premiere in London on Wednesday, he said: ‘I don’t know what they got up to. I think it’s best I don’t know.

‘I went and stayed in someone else’s gaff. I was staying in the local hotel.’

And according to leading man Theo James, Ritchie may have been wise to keep his distance.

The actor, 41, who returns as aristocrat-turned-drug lord Eddie Horniman, revealed that the production became considerably more unruly when filming later moved to Italy.

Describing the spectacle of the show’s vast British contingent descending on the country, he said: ‘In Italy, 200 Brits just going f***ing bonkers.’

Kaya Scodelario, 34, who plays criminal empire boss Susie Glass, then suggested that some members of the production barely lasted a week before getting into trouble.

‘Some of them got kicked out of the country a week in!’ she joked.

The cast lifted the lid on the chaos during a Q&A inside the medieval Great Hall at Guildhall before guests watched the opening episode beneath the venue’s soaring roof and Gothic windows.

Outside, Guildhall Yard had been transformed into a mock country estate in homage to Ritchie’s world of guns, gangsters and landed gentry.

Guests walked a green carpet past manicured topiary and wrought-iron gates, while handlers dressed in flat caps, waistcoats and wellington boots stood with hunting dogs beside a gleaming two-tone vintage convertible.

Few locations, however, could offer a more authentic glimpse into that world than Ritchie’s own estate.

The filmmaker has spent more than two decades transforming Ashcombe into an elaborate country playground complete with pheasant, partridge and clay-pigeon shooting, fishing lakes and luxury accommodation.

There is even a microbrewery producing his own Gritchie beer, alongside bar and dining facilities.

The Georgian Ashcombe House, a former home of society photographer Cecil Beaton, was bought by Ritchie and his then-wife Madonna for a reported £9million in 2001.

Madonna once described the estate as ‘the most beautiful place in the world’ during the summer, but Ritchie retained it when their eight-year marriage ended in 2008.

He now divides his time between Ashcombe and London with his second wife, model Jacqui Ainsley, and their family.

The property remains a working farm and family home surrounded by more than 1,100 acres of rolling chalk downland near Salisbury.

But it has also become one of the country’s most exclusive sporting retreats, with celebrity friends including David Beckham and Robert Downey Jr previously joining Ritchie for shooting parties there.

Its grounds and sporting lake can now be seen in The Gentlemen, providing the backdrop to a hunting gathering attended by the wealthy landowners and powerbrokers in its opening episode.

The second series spreads the Glass family’s criminal operation far beyond the gates of the fictional Halstead Manor, with the action moving from England to the shores of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy.

Kaya revealed that the overseas storyline also brought an upgrade for Susie’s wardrobe, with her character dressed ‘head to toe in Dolce & Gabbana’ while in Italy.

Also attending Wednesday’s premiere were Ray Winstone, Vinnie Jones, Joely Richardson, Hugh Bonneville, Giancarlo Esposito, Michele Morrone, Maya Jama and Chris Eubank Jr.

Ritchie was joined by Jacqui, 44, and his 26-year-old son Rocco, whom he shares with Madonna.

After the screening, the cast descended into the red-lit medieval Crypts beneath Guildhall, where they continued celebrating into the early hours.

All eight episodes of The Gentlemen series two are available on Netflix now.

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2026-09-03T19:30:09Z