BBC AMERICA COMMISSIONS FIRST ORIGINAL COMEDY SERIES "ALMOST ROYAL"

New York - March 25, 2014 - BBC AMERICA has commissioned its first original comedy series Almost Royal, a tale of two young British aristocrats on their first trip to the United States - interacting with real-life Americans. The (7x30) series is produced by Burning Bright Productions with Clive Tulloh (Eddie Izzard: Marathon Man, The Dame Edna Treatment, High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman) as executive producer and Seamus Murphy-Mitchell (Bug, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross) as series producer. Almost Royal premieres Saturday, June 21, 10:00pm ET following the Orphan Black season two finale.

Georgie (Ed Gamble) and Poppy Carlton (Amy Hoggart) are heirs to Caunty Manor, a large country estate in Norfolk, England, where they have enjoyed privileged lives as distant descendants of the British Royal Family. They have agreed to have a camera crew follow them on an unofficial royal tour of the greatest country on earth - the United States of America. While also commemorating their late father, Lord Carlton, the road trip will provide the sheltered siblings with an opportunity to spread their wings and see the world. Georgie and Poppy have never worked a day in their lives, driven themselves anywhere or solved any problem more complex than telling their butler to tell their cook what they want for lunch.

Georgie Carlton is the most affable man one could meet. He's using the trip around America as a way to become more "manly" in order to take on the responsibilities of Caunty Manor and live up to his Father's legacy.

Poppy Carlton is looking forward to raising her profile on the trip around America. She has high hopes of finding fame as a pop star/actor/author/lifestyle guru/cookery presenter. Poppy has all of the self-delusion required to find fame without having a scrap of talent.

Almost Royal is a BBC AMERICA original series produced by Burning Bright Productions and distributed by BBC Worldwide. The series is directed by Chris Faith (Katy Brand's Big Ass Show) and Marcus Liversedge (The Only Way is Essex). BBC AMERICA's slate of British comedies has included Absolutely Fabulous, Twenty Twelve, The Inbetweeners, The Thick of It and The Office.

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including two Emmy(R) Awards, five Golden Globes(R) and eleven Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on cable and satellite TV in 80 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.