The Great

Orlo's character appears to be broadly based on the real-life figure of the same name, Grigory Orlov, who led the coup that overthrew Peter.

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Urinating on wheat was a real historical method used by the ancient Egyptians to detect pregnancy. Modern studies actually show it works with 70% accuracy.

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Peter III reigned from 5 January 1762 to 9 July 1762. Catherine the Great reigned from 9 July 1762 to 17 November 1796.

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Nicholas Hoult was cast after the series creator, Tony McNamara, saw him rehearsing for The Favorite (2018). That film resembles The Great because it is also a fast-paced, dark comedy period piece.

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Belinda Bromilow, who plays Aunt Elizabeth, is married to the series creator, Tony McNamara.

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In an interview in September 2020, Elle Fanning spoke about how liberating it was to play Catherine: "The real Catherine the Great was very sexually free and people put her down for that. Sex is a big part of this series and I was excited to explore that side of things." She then added, "Personally, I love being naked. I walk around naked all the time. It's part of life!"

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Elle Fanning said that while filming sex scenes with Nicholas Hoult, they kept laughing when the camera showed only their bodies because everything looked so ridiculous. They only got serious to try to look excited in close-ups, and the moment the director shouted "Cut," they started laughing.

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The frequently heard cry of Huzzah (also spelled hazzah) dates back to Shakespeare's time and is simply an exclamation! Originally written as huzza and pronounced huh-ZAY, it is now mostly pronounced huh-ZAH and means hurrah or long live in English.

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It reunites Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning, who had previously appeared together in the film Young Ones (2014).

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In real life, Catherine seized power from Peter hastily — she had spent twenty years building a power base of influential people, including religious and military leaders — and when she faced the danger of this being exposed, she was persuaded by her military lover and her brother to act quickly, securing approval from these camps. The latter is thought to have killed Peter just eight days after the bloodless coup, though the official cause of death was "hemorrhoidal colic," meaning stomach pains caused by hemorrhoids! This was a common cause of death at the time for murders backed by the monarchy or government.

LIFE & FAMILY · SOURCED

Many of the historic houses in the United Kingdom featured in the series can be visited from spring to autumn for around £27 each (in 2026 prices); visiting only the grounds is usually less than half that.

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