See Neil Patrick Harris As Doctor Who’s Greatest Enemy
The Doctor vs. Doctor Evil?
This article is more than 2 years old
Who knew that the greatest adversary Doctor Who ever faced would be… Dr. Doogie Howser? As reported by Deadline, Neil Patrick Harris is joining the classic sci-fi series in a role not yet identified, except with the promise that he is the “greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced,” according to showrunner Russell T. Davies. That’s a pretty bold promise, considering the number of villains the different incarnations of the Doctors have taken on over six decades. The 48-year-old actor is currently filming with the rest of the Doctor Who cast in Wales, for episodes that will be aired in 2023, in honor of the Doctor’s 60th anniversary.
The announcement was made earlier today by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), as well as the various Doctor Who social media accounts. Neil Patrick Harris himself also responded to the news via his Instagram account, where he posted a picture of his character in costume and told his nearly nine million followers that the image was from “My current gig. Never looked more dashing. Thank you for inviting me into your Whoniverse, @russelltdavies63. I’ll try my hardest to do my worst. This Doctor has no idea what’s in store. And even if he does… Who cares? Ha ha ha HA ha-ha-ha!” The image features the Albuquerque, New Mexico native dressed like a 19th century dentist, with an apron stuffed with pliers and other tools, with coiffed hair and a face looking much older than we are used to seeing, thanks to some impressive makeup. The costume doesn’t provide much information on who or what his character may be.
In an announcement on the Doctor Who website, Russell T Davies welcomed Neil Patrick Harris into the fold, stating “It’s my huge honour to open our studio doors for the mighty Neil Patrick Harris… but who, why, what is he playing? You’ll just have to wait. But I promise you, the stuff we’re shooting now is off the scale. Doctor beware!” Harris, a Tony-winning actor best known for the role of Barney on How I Met Your Mother, will star alongside the new Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa, and Yasmin Finney (Heartstopper), who will play Rose, in the upcoming series. The Tenth Doctor, David Tennant, is returning to reprise his role in the series as well, as is his companion, Donna Noble (Catherine Tate).
For the 60th anniversary, the BBC is introducing several new villains for Doctor Who to face in addition to Neil Patrick Harris. According to a recent report from The UK Mirror, two baddies from the 1980’s Doctor Who comic strip will make their live-action debut in the series. One, called Beep the Meep, looks like a cute white rabbit, only with killer instincts. The other is the Wrarth Warriors, insect-like adversaries with red eyes. They have reportedly been shooting scenes with David Tennant in Wales, so it is unclear how (or even if) their storyline will crossover to Harris’ character.
Before joining the Doctor Who franchise, Neil Patrick Harris earned his sci-fi bona fides with a number of appearances in some huge projects. That included the modern classic Starship Troopers as Carl Jenkins in 1997 and as The Analyst in The Matrix Resurrections last year. Among his other sci-fi roles were Captain Planet and the Planeteers (in 1992), Quantum Leap (in 1993), The Outer Limits (in 1996), Mystery Science Theater 3000 (in 2017), Netflix’s animated series Eden (in 2021) and Star Wars: Visions (in 2021). He will be seen next in Netflix’s Uncoupled, premiering in July. He most recently appeared in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent opposite Nicolas Cage.
