PICK OF DIGITAL & ON DEMAND TV

CATHERINE THE GREAT, 10PM, SKY ARTS

A STARRY cast brings the story of the 18th-century Empress of Russia to life in a sumptuous four-part series that makes its Freeview debut tonight. The great Helen Mirren (the daughter of a Russian emigre herself) is perfectly majestic in the title role, while her courtiers include Rory Kinnear as foreign minister Nikita Panin and Gina McKee as her lady-in-waiting. This is a far cry from the comedy drama The Great (the second series of which continues on Wednesday on Ch4), a glittering romp that bills itself as ‘an occasionally true story’; rather, this strives for a much more historically accurate portrait of Catherine’s life and times. The series opens two years into her reign — having usurped her husband to claim the throne, and had his successor ruthlessly removed from the equation, the Empress sees potential enemies in every quarter. Meanwhile, she is being charmed by a new man at court: Grigory Potemkin (Jason Clarke, pictured with Mirren).