Several outlets describe the real-life history behind the mansion featured in Danny Dyer’s television series Rivals. The property was built about 27 years ago by Peter Thomas, who—along with his brother, Sir Stan—comes from a family that amassed a fortune through the pie business. The family wealth is described as originating with their father, Thomas Stanley Thomas.
According to the reporting, the mansion is connected to the Thomas family’s multi-millionaire “pie empire.” The sources further add that the family’s lineage includes a grandson who committed a violent murder. While the specific details of the incident are not included in the provided excerpts, the outlets frame the mansion as the home tied to that broader family history and tragedy.
Taken together, the articles present the mansion as a modern property linked to a longstanding regional food manufacturing dynasty, with its backstory including both wealth and later criminal violence involving a member of the next generation.
