EASTERN PROMISE
For centuries, the Islamic world had a huge impact on the
culture of the west: on images, decorative art, clothing and more.
A new exhibition at the British Museum in London explores the
major figures and works in this history, and delves into the 19th-
century Orientalism movement, which evoked a mysterious (and
frequently fantastical) version of Africa and the Middle East.
Inspired by the East: How the Islamic World Influenced Western Art,
from 10 October at the British Museum, London
britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/east.aspxTSAR ATTRACTION
She’s played Elizabeth I, Elizabeth II
and, in The Madness of King George, that
monarch’s long-suffering wife Charlotte.
Now actor Helen Mirren is portraying
a Russian ruler: 18th-century empress
Catherine the Great (reigned 1762–96).
HBO’s new four-part miniseries,
telling the story of Russia’s longest-
serving female leader, airs this autumn.
Given the history on which it’s based, it
shouldn’t be short of incident: Cath-
erine came to power by deposing her
husband, Tsar Peter III, and expanded
and strengthened her nation to become
one of the greatest powers in the world.
The series will focus on the intrigue of
the final years of her long reign, as wellas the extent to which they matched up
to her youthful hopes and ambitions.
The team behind the camera is
no strangers to royal drama, either.
Directed by Philip Martin, of hit Netflix
series The Crown, the script was penned
by Nigel Williams, who also wrote the
2005 miniseries in which Mirren played
England’s Queen Elizabeth I.
You can read more about Catherine
the Great in the October issue of
BBC History Magazine, on sale now –
see historyextra.com for more details.
Catherine the Great,
from 3 October, Sky Atlantic (UK) /
21 October, HBO (US)
hbo.com/catherine-the-greatSHOCK AND LAW
Testament to the power of an individu-
al to shape national politics, upcoming
film Where’s My Roy Cohn? charts the
extraordinary life of the titular US
lawyer. Born in 1927, Cohn (pictured
above, in 1977) rose to prominence as
chief counsel to Joseph McCarthy
during that senator’s investigation into
suspected communist sympathisers in
the 1950s. He subsequently represent-
ed such luminaries as Ronald Reagan
and Donald Trump, before being
disbarred for unethical conduct in
- Some of the narrative surround-
ing the film may be a little over-
wrought – “you knew you were in the
presence of evil”, thunders its official
website – but Cohn was undoubtedly
a powerful and controversial figure.
Where’s My Roy Cohn?, from 20 September
(US), other release dates vary
altimeterfilms.com/wheres-my-roy-cohn
GETTY^ IMAGES/SKY^ UK^ LTD/^ ISLAMIC^ ARTS^ MUSEUM^MALAYSIA.This painted ceramic
bottle, produced in
France in the 19th
century, was modelled
on Persian designsHelen Mirren stars as
Catherine the Great
in a new HBO series