 Shubik took the name "Out of This World" from a series of anthology collections published by Blackie and Son, edited by Amabel Williams-Ellis.The actor Boris Karloff, well known for his association with the horror film genre, was chosen as host for the new series.This was an idea taken from such U.S. anthology series as "The Twilight Zone", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "Thriller" (which Karloff himself had hosted) and was in line with what had been done for "Armchair Mystery Theatre", which was introduced by Donald Pleasence.