Doctor Who: Neil Patrick Harris to Play Villain, First Look Out

Neil Patrick Harris is set to play the villain on the latest season of BBC's long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who. While not a lot is known about this character, the actor revealed that he will “try [his] hardest to do [his] worst”. Harris has shared his first look from Doctor Who, in which he is seen sporting pliers and an old apron. His unnerving gaze and cold body language are hard to miss. There's no word, however, on how long we'll get to see this character on screen. Showrunner Russell T Davies described Harris' character as the “greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced”. He hinted that the new era of Doctor Who will be “off the scale”.

Davies said in a prepared statement: ”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.”

The Doctor Who cast is headlined by Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education), the first Black actor to play the iconic character on our screens, and Yasmin Finney of Heartstopper fame. David Tennant and Catherine Tate play the tenth Doctor and his companion and “best friend” Donna Noble respectively on the new season, which coincides with the series' 60th anniversary. It is, however, not known whether they'll share screen space with Harris.

Doctor Who comes at a time when Harris is going through a busy phase on the work front. The actor, best known for headlining the popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother, stars in the comedy series Uncoupled, which releases July 29 on Netflix. Harris was recently seen in the Nicholas Cage-led action-comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, where he played the agent to Cage's character. Harris was also part of the sci-fi actioner The Matrix Resurrections, as the "therapist" to Keanu Reeves' Neo.

You will be able to watch Harris lock horns with Gatwa when Doctor Who airs in 2023 on BBC in the UK. Doctor Who is currently not available on streaming in India.