If you are ‘of a certain age’ you’ll remember the Carry-On films. The Great is a vastly superior version of them. The ascendency of Catherine (the Great) is viciously satirised and turned into a costume romp. The series is turbo-charged and occasionally touches on actual features of her reign.

Catherine the Great was a 19 years old German woman shipped to Russia to be the wife of Emperor Peter. He’s the son of Peter the Great and is a fun-loving simpleton. A simpleton with a rat like cunning when it comes to his personal safety. Catherine is ferociously ambitious who plots a coup in a very amateurish way. Success would make her Empress and autocrat.

Gaining allies is difficult as the entire court knows failure is lethal. Peter’s court was the epitome of brutality. Nonetheless Peter’s behaviour was gratuitously awful and he made enemies en passant giving Catherine a chance.

Series One ends in failure. Catherine didn’t murder Peter but (cliff-hanger) the army is on her side.The romp side of the series is explicit; the brutality is explicit; the incompetence is explicit and this is a superior satire. The only comparable film is Death of Stalin,¹ which is the highest praise.

 Note

1 Film Review ~ The Death of Stalin (Steve Buscemi and Simon Russell Beale) | Odeboyz’s Blog (oedeboyz.com) This is on Netflix and is a must see if it’s passed you by.