This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of the book. The book offers the working conditions of the small screen, tracing the connections between actors' background environments and the resulting television performances. It examines a 'fantastic' style of acting - which could perhaps be termed studio and location 'unrealism' - it would be fascinating to examine the development of the non-AW, futuristic cultures and scenarios presented and refined by a franchise such as Star Trek over its long television run. The book presents telefantasy case studies to trace the historical development of UK television acting as a whole. It also examines early studio realism in 'Contact has been Established', the debut episode of The Quatermass Experiment from 1953. The book then examines the revival of interest in live drama in the 2000s, and the potential for studio realism's return.