Gillian Anderson joins The Great for series 2

Gillian Anderson has a thing for historical figures. She’s about to play Eleanor Roosevelt in Showtime’s upcoming The First Lady. She also won rave reviews — and an Emmy — for her turn as British PM Margaret Thatcher in the latest series of The Crown.

In her most recent project, she’s trading one royal family for another, kicking it waaay back — to the 18th century, to be exact.

Anderson stars in the latest series of The Great, playing Joanna, mother of the now-pregnant Catherine the Great (played by Elle Fanning). She arrives at court to reunite with her daughter — and you know sparks are going to fly.

“This season is very parental and (about) learning to be a mother, and mother to a country in that sense,” Fanning recently told The Wrap of the “anti-historical” comedy, which sees her character take the reins as Empress. “There’s some themes there. But we have some wild things planned. It’s going to be cool.”

Anderson’s character was actually a real person — Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp, a German princess. She lived from 1712 to 1760 and was “a German regent, princess of Anhalt-Zerbs”. And yes, she really was Catherine’s mum. She also famously married her daughter into the Russian royal family — Catherine then went on to make history, taking the crown from her husband Peter (he’s played by Nicholas Hoult in this, and he’s terrific), modernising Russia, and bringing Enlightenment ideals to the country.

All this plays out in spectacular fashion in the most recent season.

Fans of this superbly hilarious “occasionally true story” of Catherine the Great will already know Anderson’s character might have been real, but historical accuracy isn’t likely to be adhered to. In this incarnation, Joanna becomes a glamorous socialite from Germany, known as “the maestro of marriage” for her abilities to successfully pair off her daughters into rich, royal households.

“She has heard rumours of her daughter’s coup and come to Russia to see it for herself. Though the apple of Catherine’s eye and a doting mother, it soon becomes clear Joanna has more sinister intentions to save her family’s reputation,” the official bio reads.

We can’t wait to see what Anderson brings to the role. Huzza!