Golden rule

Australian Tony McNamara doesn’t let facts get in the way of a good story in his satirical drama The Great, writes Emily Colston.

T he longest-reigning female ruler in Russia’s history, Catherine the Great is surely one of history’s most famous women.

Having arrived in Russia for an arranged marriage to the incompetent emperor Peter III (Nicholas Hoult), Catherine (Elle Fanning) orchestrates a coup, seizes power and presides over what came to be known as the Russian Age of Enlightenment.

But if you’re after a meticulous account of her reign, you’ve come to the wrong place.

“We pride ourselves on not being historically accurate,” Fanning said in a recent interview.

Tony McNamara, creator and writer of the show, explains his show is “very much my version of what historical dramas should be”.

“We’re not trying to make a historically accurate document.”

For McNamara, playing fast and loose with the details of history was all about making his characters more relatable.

“I never wanted it to feel like we’re watching something that happened a long time ago. I really like to feel like it’s as vital or intense as it is for us today.

“I always think they were exactly the same as us, except they have carriages and giant houses, palaces and stuff.”

The Australian hopes the show isn’t dismissed as just another period piece, as it’s a genre he has never warmed to himself.

“I had no interest in period stories. I never, ever thought I would do one … We don’t really have that in our culture … It’s a thing we watched from other countries, but never did ourselves.

“I had to think, if I wanted to watch this, how would it have to be written? It would have to be really funny, contemporary and

“I learned so much from this idealistic young woman who slowly finds her power in a patriarchal world,” Fanning gushed on Instagram when revealing the trailer.

“It’s time to rule Russia in a different way!”

The Great, streaming on Stan from Saturday. Visit stan.com.au