How to watch The Great online in the UK and stream the series from anywhere

(Image credit: Hulu/Ollie Upton)

The Great is a historical comedy-drama starring two of Hollywood's brightest young stars, Nicolas Hoult and Elle Fanning. Originally a Hulu exclusive, you can now stream the show from nearly anywhere on earth - including for free online in the UK courtesy of Channel 4 and its 4OD platform.Read on to find out how to watch The Great online free from anywhere in the world right now.

How to watch The Great online free

The Great is a 10 episode miniseries that debuted on Hulu in the US back in 2020. It's now widely available to stream online and has just landed on 100% free-to-watch Channel 4 in the UK. Wherever you are right now, you can enjoy all your favourite shows and services just like you would at home - all you need is a good VPN and our easy-to-follow guide below.

The 10-part miniseries offers a satirical take on the reign of Catherine the Great and her odious husband, Peter. Maleficent's Fanning play the long-reigning Russian ruler, while Nicholas Hoult (Skins, X-Men: Days of Future Past) is her partner in crime.

Directed by Oscar-nominated writer Tony McNamara (‘The Favourite’), The Great follows Catherine as she rises to become one of Europe’s most powerful monarchs, having arrived in Russia as a German outsider.

It plays pretty hard and loose with recorded events and at times almost reaches Blackadder-esq levels of absurdity, but it's a darkly fun if highly fictionalised history lesson that sees Katherine out to kill her husband and take the throne for herself after realising the depths of his depravity.

Alongside Fanning and Hoult, there's a strong supporting cast with Sacha Dhawan, who plays The Master in Doctor Who, Bohemian Rhapsody’s Gwilym Lee, and Charity Wakefield (Jack Whitehall’s sister in Bounty Hunters).

Now that it's landed on UK terrestrial TV, anyone located in the UK can watch The Great free online - here's how to stream every episode of the show online wherever you are in the world right now.

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How to watch The Great from outside your country

If you're looking to watch The Great but find yourself abroad, you might worry that you'll be unable to watch the show using your normal streaming service, due to pesky geo-blocking restrictions.

Fortunately, there's an easy solution. Downloading a VPN will allow you to watch The Great no matter where you are. This simple bit of software changes your IP address so that you can access episodes live or on demand as they become available, just as if you were lying on the couch munching your favorite takeout.

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How to watch The Great free online in the UK

Good news, fans of Nicolas Hoult's gravity-defying cheekbones! The Great is now available to watch 100% free in the UK courtesy of 4OD, Channel 4's streaming platform.

Anyone located in the UK can watch all of the service's content for nothing (though you should hold a valid TV license), with new episodes of The Great airing each Sunday on Channel 4 at 9pm GMT from January 3, after which they go to 4OD for anytime streaming.

The Great initially landed in the UK as something of a coup for lesser known streaming service StarzPlay, while Sky subscribers will also now find it included in their on-demand library with certain packages.

The StarzPlay app is available to download on your Android and Apple device and is also available on most Android TVs as well as being compatible with Google Chromecast. You can also watch StarzPlay content through Amazon Prime Video. Sky can be watched on-the-go using the slick Sky Go app.

Both of those are premium services, though - StarzPlay costing £4.99 per month (on top of the cost of a Prime subscription) after a FREE trial on offer via Prime Video, and Sky...well, we all know how pricey it can be.

That's why it's great it's finally filtered down to free-to-air Channel 4 - and remember, UK residents can watch their favourite streaming services and show from anywhere in the world with a good VPN in their court.

How to watch The Great online in the US

The Great is a Hulu Original and therefore started life offered exclusively on the US streaming platform, with all 10 episodes first released on May 15, 2020.

Hulu plans are available from just $5.99 a month that will allow you to watch the show

Plus, Hulu lets you add on additional channels to its core service - everything from HBO and Showtime to Spanish-language networks - so it really is a legit alternative to cable and a cord-cutters dream.

A final benefit of Hulu is that you can watch it on nearly anything, with the Hulu app available for: Android and iOS devices, Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Echo Show and Fire TV devices, select smart TVs and Android TVs, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, Mac, PC and Roku streamers.

How to watch The Great online in Australia

TV fans in Australia are in luck, as all 10 episodes of The Great available Down Under via Stan.

The streaming service offers three different tiers: Stan Basic, Stan Standard and Stan Premium, with the big difference being 4K is only available via the $17 per month Premium plan.

If you don't mind watching The Great in 1080p then the Basic plan for $10 per month looks the better bet. Stan is currently offering a 30 day free trial so you can test out the service for yourself and work your way through all of The Great without potentially paying a penny.

If you happen to be abroad and are worried that geo-blocking will stop you from watching The Great like you normally would back home, don't worry - just use a VPN to point yourself back to Australia and you'll be able to stream as usual.

How to watch The Great online in Canada

Canadians looking to watch the show are being provided for by Amazon Prime Video, which has all episodes of The Great available for streaming as part of a Prime subscription.

Access to the Prime Video platform in Canada is free with an Amazon Prime membership. A subscription costs $7.99 a month or $79/year but there's a 30-day free trial to figure out if it's worth your money.

Ever-quirky Canadian law means that it's only available to non-Quebec residents - yes, really - but in Quebec you get two months for the price of one instead.

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James is a technology journalist with nearly 10 years experience and currently Sports and TV Streaming Editor at Future, where he works across TechRadar, T3 and Tom's Guide. He is here to help you find the best ways to watch sports, TV shows and movies online. Previously, he was News and Features Editor at Trusted Reviews, Editor of Lifehacker UK, and Senior Staff Writer at ITProPortal.