Don't Worry, Poppy's Funnier Than You Think

Contrary to what they want you to believe, Almost Royal 's Poppy Carlton is not really 51st in line to the British throne. While the show follows her adventures around the U.S. with her brother Georgie and their interactions with real-live Americans, Poppy is no more royal than Matt Hicks from I Wanna Marry "Harry." It takes talent to act that removed from the real world, and Amy Hoggart is just the lady to do it.

Hoggart is a British writer and performer who manages to use her comedic skills to make the British aristocrat Poppy seem cold and delusional while still being lovable. While her stint on Almost Royal is probably the first time most Americans have seen Hoggart, she's been making a name for herself in the British comedy scene for years. Before Almost Royal, Hoggart was creating characters, writing a book, and filming comedy videos. Oh, and this isn't the first time she's worked with the actor who plays, Georgie (Ed Gamble), either.

Now that you know what Almost Royal is really about, why don't you get to know one of its main stars a bit better? Here's five things you should know about Hoggart that will make you love her much more than Poppy.

She Comes From a Famous Family

Hoggart's grandfather was Richard Hoggart, a famous academic and cultural historian best known for his court testimony that helped end the British censorship of the D.H. Lawrence novel Lady Chatterley's Lover in 1960. Her father, Simon Hoggart, was a well-known journalist who wrote for The Guardian and The Spectator. Hoggart wrote a touching piece on her father for The Guardian after he lost his battle to pancreatic cancer in January of this year.

She's famous for playing a social outcast

Before Hoggart put on her posh accent to play Poppy in Almost Royal, she inhabited the character Pattie Brewster, a cat-loving misfit. Brewster has no friends, but by watching her live performances and reading her self-help book, Pattie Brewster's Guide to Life/Pattie , you too can "become more like Pattie (smaller)." If that's not really your thing, it's all still good for a laugh or two.

She's not as dumb as she acts

Hoggart studied at the prestigious University of Cambridge. She toured with the school's sketch group Footlights, which boasts Hugh Laurie, John Oliver, and some of the Monty Python members as alumni. She first met her Almost Royal co-star Gamble through Footlights, when he directed one of the group's shows.

She's made A Ton of sketches

With her comedy partner Max Dickins, Hoggart has filmed loads of funny sketches that she's uploaded to YouTube for your laughing pleasure. In them, she and Dickins portray a wide array of dynamic duos, from married couples in counseling to potential roommates to girls at a slumber party. Watch them portray acting coaches in the video above just to see these Brits attempt to do American accents, which is always entertaining for some reason.

Her Twitter feed is funny and delightful

Hoggart's Twitter feed is another venue to explore her awkward yet spunky wit. I'll just let her tweets do the talking.

Image: BBC America