Who is Neil Patrick Harris playing in ‘Doctor Who?’ The Toymaker, explained

There are so many reasons for Doctor Who fans to be hyped by this year’s incoming 60th anniversary celebrations. Naturally, David Tennant’s grand return as the Tenth Fourteenth Doctor is grabbing much of the attention, but let’s not forget the fact that he’s getting himself an intriguing new nemesis for his landmark comeback to the Whoniverse in this monumental milestone for the immortal sci-fi show.

In what is probably one of the biggest casting coups of the entire revived series, major Hollywood star Neil Patrick Harris is joining the cast for the three birthday bash specials that are coming in November 2023. After well over a year of agonizing mystery since his casting in June 2022, the BBC finally confirmed who the How I Met Your Mother actor is playing following the release of a thrilling new trailer for the specials.

Just as you would expect for such a major celebration of the show’s history, Harris is indeed portraying a new incarnation of a familiar character, a dangerous enemy from Doctor Who‘s early days. But who exactly is the Toymaker?

The Toymaker first appeared in Doctor Who in 1966

It’s hard to get much past Doctor Who fan detectives and, sure enough, Whovians have been convinced Harris had been cast as the Toymaker all along, ever since the star shared a snap of himself in very Geppetto-like get-up on Instagram when he was first announced to be involved. Plus, with showrunner Russell T. Davies promising his character was “the greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced” that didn’t leave many options open, as few are as powerful as the Toymaker in Whoniverse lore.

Originally appearing in four-part serial The Celestial Toymaker in 1966, the Toymaker was played by Michael Gough (most known as Alfred in Tim Burton’s Batman movies) and faced off against William Hartnell’s First Doctor. This story established that the Toymaker was a vastly powerful, immortal being who could warp reality to his whim and loved to manipulate and “play with” the Doctor. In many ways, then, he can be likened to Star Trek‘s Q.

Despite his power-levels, the Toymaker has yet to return to the TV series since, although he has featured in numerous comic books and novels over the decades. Plus, he did get a namecheck in 2020 episode “Can You Hear Me?” which neatly tees up his on-screen return. For his grand comeback, Davies and Harris have clearly rebuilt the character from the ground up, remaking him into a much more mercurial individual with a love of disguises and dressing-up that rivals the Master.

In particular, Harris speaks with a Germanic accent in the role, and appears to change clothes in every single scene he’s in — in addition to his Geppetto look, we’ve also seen him impersonating the MC from Cabaret, donning a Regency-era soldier’s uniform, and even recreating the famous nude rose petal scene from American Beauty! The extraterrestrial Toymaker apparently having an obsession with Earth history and pop culture is perhaps a smart explanation for the culturally appropriative fashion sense of Gough’s portrayal, who dressed like a Chinese mandarin.

Likewise, the Doctor’s fear and anxiety over the Toymaker’s attack on Earth indicates a much deeper rivalry and level of antagonism between the pair than we have seen before, suggesting we may finally learn exactly what manner of being the Toymaker is and why he’s so obsessed with the Time Lord. This will no doubt clash with the Toymaker’s backstory in those aforementioned spinoff materials, but, hey, Doctor Who is Davies’ toybox, he can do what he likes.