Doctor Who Showrunner Teases Neil Patrick Harris' "Terrifying" Villain

David Tennant returns to Doctor Who this November for the show's 60th-anniversary specials, where he'll face off against Neil Patrick Harris as one of The Doctor's earliest foes, The Toymaker. Russell T Davies, the showrunner who is also returning to Doctor Who for its anniversary and beyond, spoke to Total Film magazine about casting Harris in the role of the classic but mostly forgotten Doctor Who villain. "You need an extraordinary actor to match David at the height of his powers," Davies says of Harris, who is best known for roles on television comedies like How I Met Your Mother.

"Bear in mind that this is David's TARDIS, his Doctor, his name in the titles," Davies continues. "It's not easy for guest stars to come into that. You need that size, you need that experience, you need that skill to match him, otherwise you're in danger that the Doctor will tapdance all around you. That's what Neil brings… a vast performance that is properly terrifying."

Who Is Neil Patrick Harris playing in Doctor Who?

In September, Doctor Who confirmed what fans had suspected, that Harris is playing the Toymaker in Doctor Who. He'll appear in the last of the three Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials, titled "The Giggle."

Michael Gough originated the Toymaker character in the classic Doctor Who Series 3 serial The Celestial Toymaker, where the villain faced the First Doctor, played by William Hartnell. The Toymaker is a mischievous villain who enjoys trapping others and forcing them into playing childish games with their freedom at stake. The Toymaker is also a sore loser who rigs the games in his favor.

The Celestial Toymaker is the Toymaker's only appearance in Doctor Who television. Unfortunately, the serial is one of those lost Doctor Who episodes that fell victim to the BBC's then-policy of purging old material. Only its fourth and final episode, "The Final Test," remains intact. However, the audio track survived and has been re-released in audiobook format.

While the Toymaker only had one previous and one upcoming appearance in Doctor Who television, he's popped up in several other mediums, including facing off against Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor in the Doctor Who audio serial The Magic Mousetrap. He's appeared in several comic book stories (most recently Titan Comics' Doctor Who 2015 Holiday Special) and the Fifth Doctor novel Divided Loyalties by Gary Russell.

When is the Doctor Who Disney+ release date?

The Doctor Who anniversary specials will be the first new episodes of Doctor Who to stream globally on Disney+ as part of a deal between Disney Branded Television and the BBC. The BBC and Disney announced a plan to "transform Doctor Who into a global franchise for UK audiences and the rest of the world" days after Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker's final episode.

Doctor Who returns in 2023 for its 60th-anniversary specials ahead of 2024's Season 14, starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, which wrapped filming in July. Doctor Who Season 15, Gatwa's second as the Fifteenth Doctor, began production in October. This is a perfect time to jump into past seasons of Doctor Who, which are streaming on a different service. You can get caught up with our Doctor Who streaming binge guide. Doctor Who begins streaming on Disney+ on November 25th.