Doctor Who's Neil Patrick Harris teases "delicious" 60th anniversary role
The actor speaks about playing his mysterious villain in Russell T Davies' 2023 celebrations.
While we're yet to bid goodbye to Jodie Whittaker's Doctor, with her final episode airing later this year, Doctor Who fans can't help but get excited for Russell T Davies' return to the time-travelling juggernaut – particularly with 60th anniversary star Neil Patrick Harris joining the action.
The Uncoupled star is set to play a villain in Davies' Doctor Who anniversary celebrations, with many fans speculating that he could be taking on the role of the Celestial Toymaker – although there has yet to be any sort of confirmation.
Speaking on Variety's podcast Just for Variety with Marc Malkin, Harris has now spoken about how Davies approached him for the part, which he found to be "delicious".
"I get a text from Russell T Davies saying, 'So I'm doing this thing and I've written a thing and there's a part in it that you might like. I think it's delicious. Is it OK if I send it to you?'
"And I say, 'Of course Russell, you're Russell T Davies. Of course.' And he sent it and I started reading it and from the very, very first scene I was like, 'Ah, this is delicious.'"
He continued: "It's a great, fun part in ways that I'm not allowed to discuss right now but I had to say yes. I'm trying to do less and I'm now committing to more but I think with Russell, it would be a bad call to say no creatively to him."
Harris added that his scenes have already been shot with the actor spending six weeks in Cardiff filming alongside David Tennant and Catherine Tate, who are reprising their roles as the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble.
"They're just the best and everyone was in such good cheer and I think having Russell back at the helm is a really great call."
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It remains to be seen who exactly the It's A Sin actor is playing, with Davies previously describing his character as "the greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced".
Next year's Doctor Who anniversary will also introduce Yasmin Finney as Rose, with the Heartstopper star saying in a recent interview that she's "overwhelmed with joy" to join the Who-niverse.
It comes as new Time Lord star Ncuti Gatwa gets ready to take over the sci-fi franchise beyond the 60th anniversary, with former Doctor Matt Smith recently praising his addition as "the most sensational bit of casting".
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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