Spoiled British Aristocrats Travel Stateside in BBC America’s First Original Comedy ‘Almost Royal’

BBC America has commissioned its first original comedy series — “Almost Royal.” Attempting to appeal to both American and British audiences, the series follows two sheltered young English aristocrats, Georgie (Ed Gamble) and Poppy Carlton (Amy Hoggart), as they take their first tour of the United States. The siblings are filmed by a TV crew in the mockumentary tradition of “The Office” and “Family Tree.”  “Almost Royal” will premiere on June 21st, at 10pm, following the season two finale of the channel’s breakout science fiction series “Orphan Black.”

The “affable” Georgie attempts to be more “manly” in order to fulfill the duties of a descendent of British royalty and heir to “Caunty Manor.” Meanwhile, his sister Poppy “has high hopes of finding fame as a pop star/actor/author/lifestyle guru/cookery presenter” and, to make matters worse, “all of the self-delusion required to find fame without having a scrap of talent.” Sounding pretty standard, the show is likely relying on American-British co-admiration, bringing the Marys and Ediths of “Downton Abbey” to the less prim landscapes of middle America. 

“Almost Royal” is produced by Burning Bright Productions with Clive Tulloh (“Eddie Izzard: Marathon Man,” “The Dame Edna Treatment”) as executive producer and Seamus Murphy-Mitchell (“Bug”, “Friday Night with Jonathan Ross”) as series producer. The series is directed by Chris Faith (“Katy Brand’s Big Ass Show”) and Marcus Liversedge (“The Only Way is Essex”).