How to Become a TV Actor

It’s smart to learn what a career in TV acting involves before you audition for a TV series or even take more general steps to becoming an actor. It’s not for everyone, and TV acting differs more from theatre and film acting than you may think. 

Here’s what you can expect:

• Busy production schedules
  Multiple episodes can be filmed simultaneously – Hollyoaks reportedly shoots three episodes every nine days – so TV actors must adapt quickly while keeping track of continuity.
• Multicamera setups
  Several cameras often film from different angles. The centre camera takes wide shots while others capture close-ups and reactions. “Since multicams are most like plays, the energy necessary to pop…is brighter than normal, but not so big that you are overacting and/or trying to be funny,” casting director Cathy Reinking wrote in Backstage about the performances required.
• Long hours and lots of lines
  Every show is different, but a series regular works hard. EastEnders veteran Jake Wood told Rob Moore’s Disruptors podcast about six-day weeks and regularly memorising 30 script pages each day.
• Short scenes and natural performances
  You’ll often shoot several short scenes each day. “Television scenes generally are so short that you need to make bold and immediate choices,” casting director Peter Hunt told Spotlight. At the same time, TV acting is generally very realistic. “Acting on TV requires both subtlety and believability,” according to Acting Magazine. “Actors must focus on delivering performances that feel real and natural.”

1. Consider classes.

Universities and drama schools provide broad foundations, but actors with their sights set specifically on television work may consider short-term courses focused on its acting styles and production – particularly if they already have a drama degree under their belt. 

ActUpNorth’s 12- to 16-week courses in Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, and online place emphasis on TV. Students use scripts from current shows in a multicam studio setup and take modules such as Acting for Soap. 

Other short courses helpful for TV include:

• 6-day Acting for Camera at RADA 
• 3-day Intro to Screen Acting at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School 
• 5-week Screen Acting: Auditioning and Self-Taping for TV and Film at City Lit
• 2-day Intro to Acting for Screen at MetFilm School 

2. Assess your strengths.

TV spans multiple genres and formats. Some actors stick to one specialisation, while others flit between them. As an aspiring TV actor, you can zero in on the best opportunities by considering which fits your experience, career goals, and talents. 

Drama
Dramatic narratives revolving around serious themes give actors the opportunity to deliver strong, complex performances – which may become a rookie actor’s breakout role, as did Robert Carlyle’s three-episode arc on Cracker (1994). 

ActUpNorth notes how the popularity of UK crime dramas in particular benefits actors: “With plenty more crime series in the pipeline, this is a rich seam for aspiring actors to tap into.… Often crime dramas run into multiple series, so they provide actors with much-prized security and continuity in their careers.” 

Examples include Silent Witness (1996–present), Midsomer Murders (1997–present), and Line of Duty (2012–2021).

Situation comedy (sitcom)
Typically featuring small casts whose characters’ stories develop over one or several series, sitcoms seek actors able to bring energy, versatility, and outstanding comic timing. Stand-up and improv can polish those skills and will make your acting CV stand out to casting directors. 

Or you may try getting your own show commissioned. The Office (2001–2003) started when Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais made a short demo film for the BBC, while Michaela Coel’s Chewing Gum (2015–2017) arose from her play, Chewing Gum Dreams. “We made a 15- to 20-minute taster, cast it, and we invited Channel 4 to a reading,” Coel told Channel 4. “Then we got the green light for a series.”

Examples include Not Going Out (2006–present), Motherland (2016–2022), and Ghosts (2019–2023). 

Soap opera
Soaps are serialised dramas that feature large interconnected webs of characters. Casting is continuous with many parts required (Hollyoaks now aims to cast over 300 guest roles each year). 

Laura James, who teaches soap opera acting for the Acting Workshop, says characters are generally written fast and switch quickly between extremes, leaving actors to give them dimension. “Villains, bitches, drug addicts, authoritarian figures – all must have vulnerability and be very specific,” she told Backstage. “You have to get to the essence of a character quickly and transfer it effortlessly.”

Examples include EastEnders (1985–present), Hollyoaks (1995–present), and Doctors (2000–present).

3. Apply for roles.

You may strike it lucky with open casting calls. Soaps often fill upcoming roles through huge casting calls – Michelle Keegan’s audition for Coronation Street featured around 900 other girls – or workshops, as in the case of Tamzin Outhwaite on EastEnders. “I went to a workshop at Elstree…and there were 20 boys and 20 girls,” Outhwaite told The Guardian. “We did a workshop for what felt like six hours.… [I got] a three-month contract…and three months turned into three and a half years.”

To be seen for TV shows in the UK, you’ll generally want an acting agent. “Actors on the whole really need an agent in order to hugely increase their chances of getting seen for auditions,” Doctor Who casting director Andy Pryor told the BBC. Agents know what’s getting cast and have connections with casting directors, which increases your chances of getting auditions and securing parts.

If you don’t have an agent but have spotted a show you’re convinced you’d be perfect for, try contacting casting agents directly. Aisha Bywaters, casting director on shows including We Are Lady Parts (2021–2024) and The Baby (2022), recommends keeping communication short and sweet. “All I need from you is to say, ‘Hi, I’m here, this is my CV, this is my headshot. If you’ve got anything I’m right for, get in touch’,” she told the British Comedy Guide. “As long as I can see you, get a sense of you and the roles I think you'd be good at playing, that’s all I need.”

Note which shows are being cast and whether they may need you, and then include that information in your subject line. “Say, for example, it’s for The Last Kingdom,” Kelly Valentine Hendry, casting director on huge shows such as Fleabag (2016–2019) and Gangs of London (2020–present), told Backstage. Or include a description of yourself. Put, for example, “‘Six-foot-five Scandinavian actor, re. The Last Kingdom.’ I’m definitely going to be opening that.” 

4. Nail your auditions.

How do you translate securing auditions into booking parts? It won’t happen every time, even for the most talented actors, but learning how to audition for a show certainly improves your chances both of getting the part and getting invited back to try out for future roles. 

Here are a few tips. 

Be bold, but take notes. “The best way to impress us is to show us your version of a role,” Bywaters says. “Don’t second guess yourself or try to give us something that isn’t you or that you think we might want.”

At the same time, take feedback onboard. “So many times, the director has reflected on an actor’s audition and said, ‘They read really well, but didn’t take the note’,” BBC casting director Ben Cogan told the Actors’ Guild. “The director wants to see passion, preparation, and understanding – but they need to know that the actor can take a note and deliver it.”

Be off-book. Former Coronation Street and Waterloo Road star Angela Griffin underlines the importance of preparation. “With a TV audition, you need to be off-book – you have to know your lines inside out,” she told Backstage. “You also need an idea of what you’re going to be able to do with the character. The problem is that you don’t always get the full script, as there’s so much secrecy around projects. So you might have to make things up to a certain extent. Also, walk into the meeting as that character.”

Don’t change your appearance. “A bit of advice for actors in general: Do not change your appearance from your audition,” Hendry says. You don’t want a dramatic haircut or shave removing the very part of your appearance the casting agent liked. 

Remember it’s a process. “No meetings are ever wasted, especially when you’re doing the continuing television that I am doing now,” BBC casting director John Cannon told Spotlight. “If an actor doesn’t get this episode, there will be another in four or five months’ time where the actor will be equally suitable for the role.”

“When people don’t get the job…it’s usually just not quite what the director has in mind,” Bodyguard (2018) casting director Kate Rhodes James told Backstage. “I love actors who know who they are.… Those are the sort of people I can bring in time and time again, and then they start to get the gigs and it all snowballs from there. People like David Tennant. I used to bring David in all the time years and years ago.” Following the process clearly worked for Tennant; trust that it will for you too. 

5. Get noticed.

We’ve discussed getting an agent and contacting casting directors directly, but don’t dismiss the possibility of being scouted. 

“In my job, you are always looking out for actors,” Bywaters says. “I watch a lot of films and television and am always at the theatre. I go to drama school showcases and film festivals; I see short films.” 

Coronation Street casting agents have mentioned scouting at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, while Cannon mentions finding actors at part-time evening workshops and pub theatre. 

Say yes to attending industry events if and when they arise. You never know who you may meet.