While the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special is still a whole year away, that's not keeping the BBC or returning show runner Russel T Davies from teasing fans on what to expect. The first surprises include the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the 10th Doctor and Donna Noble respectively. Another major surprise is the casting of Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney as a new companion named Rose who will be debuting in the special.
After a couple of weeks of no new announcements, both Davies and the official Doctor Who Twitter account announced another surprise. Namely, the casting of Neil Patrick Harris in an undisclosed role for the 60th Anniversary Special. While Davies hasn't shared any specific details about the character Harris will be playing apart from "I promise you, the stuff we’re shooting now is off the scale," we can speculate based on his comments what that role could be. Here are some possibilities!
NPH Could Be Playing The Celestial Toymaker
Based on the promo photo the BBC released, Harris is sporting a Geppetto-type look, which immediately invokes thoughts of the Celestial Toymaker. Originally making his debut in the 1966 serial "The Celestial Toymaker" starring William Hartnell as the 1st Doctor, the Toymaker was introduced as a playful, but dangerous enemy of the Doctor.
As an immortal entity who exists in his own dimension, the Toymaker forces all who come stumbling in to play his games as a condition for leaving. Upon losing, all players get stuck in his dimension as his "toys." Since Davies appears to be playing with the multiverse concept for the 60th Anniversary, the Toymaker is definitely a high contender!
NPH Could Be Bringing Back The Psychic Circus as The Chief Clown
Another high contender Harris could be playing is the Chief Clown, who was the ringleader of the Psychic Circus first featured in the 1988 serial "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy," starring Sylvester McCoy as the 7th Doctor. In a more recent photo release by Davies, Harris is seen sporting a similar costume to the Chief Clown, complete with a tuxedo, a top hat, and lipstick.
In "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy," the Chief Clown resided on the planet Segonax and organized a talent contest that invited guests to participate. The guests that happened to be at the circus turned out to be none other than the Gods of Ragnarok (not to be confused with the actual Norse gods), who have an unquenchable love of entertainment. They're also known to kill anyone who fails to keep them entertained. The Chief Clown was also made leader of the circus by the Master, which establishes a connection to one of the Doctor's greatest enemies.
NPH Could Be Another Incarnation of The Master
While it may seem unusual to have another incarnation of the Master appear so soon after the character's last appearance in Jodie Whittaker's Centenary Special, recent comments from former Master John Simm don't rule out the possibility. Describing Harris's character as "the greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced," Davies could still introduce a new incarnation of the renegade Time Lord for the 60th Anniversary Special. This possibility seems even more likely if the Chief Clown is, in fact, returning.
Given the Master's relentless rivalry with the Doctor and his recent knowledge of the Timeless Child, there's still a high chance he could be manipulating the Doctor's timeline on a more epic scale. It's certainly not the first time he's altered history, especially given the events of Season 3. After being elected prime minister of Britain, the Master created an alternate timeline where humanity's descendants murdered their ancestors in 2007, which forced the 10th Doctor and Martha Jones to erase the timeline.
NPH Could Be a New Incarnation of the Valeyard
Another high contender for "the greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced" is the Valeyard, who is an amalgamation of the Doctor's darker sides from between their 12th and 13th regenerations. With the Doctor currently in their 13th incarnation, now seems like a good time to revisit the Valeyard, especially now the Doctor knows they are the Timeless Child.
Since the Valeyard has a history of manipulating the Matrix and is even known to reside in it, there's a good chance that the 60th Anniversary Special could be exploring alternate timelines inside the Matrix with the Valeyard at the helm. An adventure within the Matrix could also explain why the 10th Doctor is suddenly back with Donna sporting a new costume and a new sonic screwdriver.
NPH Could Be a New Face for the Dream Lord
Related to the Valeyard is the Dream Lord, who is another known psychic manifestation of the Doctor's darker sides. Originally brought to life with psychic pollen, the Dream Lord tends to reside within the minds of people and has the power to manipulate dreams to anything he wants. He can even make different individuals share the same dream as he did with the 11th Doctor and his companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams. With Russell T Davies teasing possible dreams and alternate realities, the 60th Anniversary Special sounds like a good storyline to bring back this one-time antagonist.
NPH Could Be a Revived Omega
With the revelation of the Doctor as the Timeless Child and the myth behind the Time Lords unveiled, there's only one other Gallifreyan besides the Master who would take serious issue with that, and that is Omega. Originally thought of as the Great Intergalactic Engineer and as the founder of Time Lord society, Omega was worshipped as a god and ruled over the anti-matter universe where he also resided. With the Timeless Child being a potentially more powerful entity than Omega himself, this would be enough for the classic villain to make a smashing comeback in the 60th Anniversary Special.
NPH Could Be a Past Incarnation of Morbius
While a less likely contender compared to the other powerful villains Harris could be playing on this list, Morbius is one more renegade Time Lord who shouldn't be ruled out. Originally introduced in the 1976 story "The Brain of Morbius" starring Tom Baker as the 4th Doctor, Morbius was originally the President of the High Council who sought to overturn Gallifrey's "no interference of other worlds rule," which led to Civil War on Gallifrey and ultimately his own execution. Since the Division formed on Gallifrey to break that rule in secret, there's a good chance Morbius could return for the 60th Anniversary Special to address its existence.