Who is the Celestial Toymaker in Doctor Who? History of villain played by Neil Patrick Harris in The Giggle

The Celestial Toymaker is one the oldest Doctor Who villains, predating even the Cybermen. The sinister enemy first appeared in 1966, facing off against the 1st Doctor, and his companions Steven and Dodo.

In the almost six decades since the villain’s debut he is yet to appear again on screen, but this will soon change when How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris takes on the role in the final 60th anniversary special, The Giggle.

The episode follows the Doctor as he is reunited with his ancient enemy as the giggle of a mysterious puppet begins to drive the human race insane. This time it looks like the Doctor is in a fight he cannot win.

Who is the Celestial Toymaker?

The Celestial Toymaker is a villain from the classic series of Doctor Who, then played by South African actor David Bailie, who later became known for playing Cotton in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

The villain appeared in the 1966 serial, The Celestial Toymaker, a four part story in which the 1st Doctor arrives in a strange land ruled by the eponymous villain. The Toymaker is an immortal being of unknown origins who forces the Doctor and his companions to play a series of games.

If either of them loses a game they will become the Toymaker's playthings for the rest of time. At the end of the story the Doctor imitates the Toymaker’s voice, taking control of the final game, and destroying the villain’s world in a huge explosion as the Doctor and his friends escape in the TARDIS.

The Toymaker has appeared again in different media, in comics, novels, and audio stories, but his portrayal by Neil Patrick Harris in the final 60th Anniversary special will be his first on-screen appearance in 57 years.

The Doctor believed that the Toymaker had been permanently defeated when he outsmarted him at his games, but it has been revealed in other media that the Toymaker was banished to Earth but otherwise survived his encounter with the Time Lord.

Where can you watch The Celestial Toymaker Doctor Who episodes?

There are four episodes in The Celestial Toymaker serial - The Celestial Toyroom, The Hall of Dolls, The Dancing Floor, and The Final Test. Unfortunately the first three of these episodes are missing, as the BBC did not begin properly archiving episodes of Doctor Who until the 1970s. The Final Test is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

The Celestial Toymaker episodes are three of the 97 missing episodes of Doctor Who, which survive in audio form but with none of the original video. Many of these episodes have since been recreated in an animated format which is synced to the audio.

An animated restoration of the three episodes is reportedly in the works, but will not be completed ahead of the Toymaker’s return in The Giggle. When the episodes are restored they are likely to be made available on BBC iPlayer.