Studio-bound, videotaped 'play' productions were the standard format for British Television from the early days to the 1980s. Acting, direction, and sets were technically done with a theatrical style. The reasoning was that such productions gave an intimate connection to the viewer, as if they are seeing a stage play or a Live TV-show. Dramas like I, CLAUDIUS, UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS, ELIZABETH R and THE PALLISERS were referred to as Television Plays or 'Electronic Theater' (qtd. Alfred Shaughnessy).
