The Great is perfectly pitched satire

James Croot thoroughly enjoys the romp-filled battle for the throne of Russia.

Huzzah! One of the most entertaining and outrageous comedies of last year and the best 18th Century-set sitcom since Blackadder III is back. This ‘‘anti-historical’’ look at the disastrous marriage between Emperor Peter III (Nicholas Hoult) and the woman who would become Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) is filled with hilarious characters, acerbic one-liners and gorgeous costuming.

We rejoin the action four months into Catherine’s attempted coup and it’s clear progress has been slow. Now somewhere ‘‘between bored and enraged’’, the heavily pregnant empress has managed to box Peter and his followers into a small section of the palace.

‘‘I just wish it to be the last stanza,’’ she informs General Velementov (Douglas Hodge).

‘‘Your desire to be there and kill him yourself has altered a few plans,’’ comes the pithy reply.

‘‘He must be worried though – and ultimately know I’ve got him,’’ Catherine retorts.

But while it’s true Peter is impressed with the ‘‘wit and elegance’’ of her moves, he’s far more interested in the contents of chef Jean-Pierre’s latest culinary creation.

Besides, he’s still convinced he can win her over with his charms (and his ‘‘tongue tricks’’).

Smuggling himself into her chambers by hijacking a routine pregnancy check by the court physician, Peter tries his best opening line: ‘‘How are you?’’

‘‘At war with you,’’ Catherine coolly replies, ‘‘Russia is paralysed, people are dying, give up now.’’

‘‘You see, that’s the difference between us,’’ he replies. ‘‘I like the bloodshed.’’

However, while this conversation is taking place, Catherine’s troops have driven Peter’s loyalists out of the palace. As he rejoins them, he’s persuaded that ‘‘running, is actually winning, because if they can’t find you, they can’t kill you’’.

There’s just one problem, in their hasty retreat, they’ve failed to take either adequate provisions or Jean-Pierre. ‘‘If I could just pick up a salmon en croute with saffron aioli in the next village,’’ Peter opines. It’s a weakness Catherine is not only aware of, but determined to exploit. Victory, it seems, may yet be still within her grasp.

Based on his own 2008 play, showrunner Tony McNamara’s creation continues to be a perfectly pitched satire, populated by memorable characters. These are two terrific performances by Hoult and Fanning. While his emperor feels like a Blackadder-esque relative of his Favourite character Robert Harley, he is also a brilliantly boorish, unique creation. Whether it’s constantly forgetting the ‘‘e´ ’’ on touche´ , ruminating aloud without any kind of filter, or indulging in his seemingly insatiable appetites for fine food and sex, Hoult’s Peter is certainly someone you won’t forget. He’s equally matched though by the surprisingly funny Fanning. Best known for her serious turns in the likes of Maleficient, The Neon Demon and The Beguiled, she cuts loose here, with dazzling effect.

Her increasing desire for power and impending motherhood have made her Catherine rather impatient, with delightful consequences. Not only does she invent the Molotov cocktail in the season opener, she also wages war against the effects of ‘‘the coup taking place within her body’’.

‘‘If God really loved women, we’d lay eggs,’’ she growls, as Peter’s ‘‘helpful’’ (read scheming) Aunt Elizabeth makes her a breakfast of turbot, farmhouse cheese and vodka, while recommending ‘‘frog therapy’’.

The battle between an emperor ‘‘chosen by God’’ and ‘‘a grabby little German chosen by mail order’’ is heating up and, from the first skirmishes, the true winners this season are the audience.

Season 2 of The Great is now available to stream on Neon and SkyGo.