Doctor Who is gearing up for its 60th anniversary special and with this has come a number of announcements. The returning showrunner Russel T Davies has hailed the comeback of David Tennant and Catherine Tate who played the Tenth Doctor and his companion Donna Noble respectively. However, along with these returning actors, there have been some newcomers introduced too like Yasmin Finney and more recently, Neil Patrick Harris.

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Fans have been speculating about whom these actors may be playing, but it's Harris's role that has caused a buzz among fans recently. Thanks to photos of him on set as well as some very telling props, fans think they may have him pegged as The Celestial Toymaker who first appeared in the classic series of Doctor Who.

8 He's An Immortal Entity

The Celestial Toymaker is an eternal being of near-infinite power who could create his own worlds and manipulate the reality within them. He also had the ability to make the Doctor invisible and intangible despite him being inside the TARDIS, so whether his abilities are limited to his own realm or extend to the wider universe as well is unclear.

The Celestial Toymaker could manifest things seemingly at will, a power he used while playing games with those who he brought to his domain. The Toymaker even had the power to take control of those that he beat and would use them as puppets in his games with other victims.

7 He Enjoys Playing Games With his Victims

The Celestial Toymaker brought people to the Celestial Toybox which was a universe created "entirely in his own vision". It was within this universe that the Toymaker created games that he would force his subjects to play for his own amusement. These games were usually rigged in his favor though, and he would often change the rules on a whim or make them intentionally vague.

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When the Toymaker lured the Doctor to his realm, he set up the games in such a way that meant even if the doctor and his companions won, the Toyroom would cease to exist upon their victory with them still inside it. The Doctor found a way to trick the Toymaker, leading to the destruction of the Toybox. However, the Doctor revealed that the Toymaker could build another.

6 He Only Appeared In One Story

Episodes in the classic series of Doctor Who were structured differently from how they are in the new series. Instead of one or two 45-minute episodes for a story, they were generally split into four or six 25-minute parts which as a whole were called serials.

The Celestial Toymaker was a four-part serial that aired in 1966 and featured the First Doctor, with Steven and Dodo as companions. It was the first and only appearance of the Celestial Toymaker on-screen, although he has returned several times in the expanded media such as the Big Finish audio dramas and comics.

5 Most Of His Story Is Lost

97 of the 253 episodes from the show's first six seasons are lost after the BBC junked them in the 1960s and 1970s due to a lack of space, broadcast rights, etc. The Celestial Toymaker was one such story to suffer this fate as 3 of its 4 parts are missing.

Only the fourth part of the serial, "The Final Test", survives in full. However, the original audio from the other episodes still exists as well as tele-snaps which have been compiled into a reconstruction of the story along with the complete episode 4. This reconstruction by Loose Cannon can be viewed online, or the audio can be purchased separately.

4 It Was Nearly William Hartnell's Final Story

Regeneration as a concept had not been thought of at the time of shooting and the fourth episode of The Celestial Toymaker coincided with the end of Hartnell's contract. In the event that the contract wasn't renewed, Hartnell was to be replaced with a new actor once the Doctor became visible again in the final part.

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Fortunately, this never came to pass as Hartnell would go on to play the part for a further five serials until his health grew worse and he was asked to step down. If Hartnell had changed in The Celestial Toymaker then it's likely that the idea of regeneration would have never been thought of.

3 He Was Played By Michael Gough

Michael Gough (1916 - 2011) was a British award-winning actor with over 150 film and TV appearances spanning his career. One of his more iconic roles was as Alfred Pennyworth in the Tim Burton Batman films.

Gough played the Celestial Toymaker in 1966, but this wasn't the only time the actor dipped his toes into the world of Doctor Who. He would later play the part of Councilor Hedin in the 1983 serial, "Arc of Infinity", a story featuring the Fifth Doctor.

2 He Almost Returned In A Sixth Doctor Story

The Celestial Toymaker was originally due to reappear in Colin Baker's second season as the Sixth Doctor, but the series plan was scrapped and replaced with "Trial of a Timelord". The story was named "The Nightmare Fair" and consisted of the Toymaker using arcade machines at an amusement fair to capture the souls of those who played them.

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While the story never aired on television, the company Big Finish created an audio adaptation with Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant reprising their roles as the Sixth Doctor and Peri. The audio drama can be listened to for free on Spotify along with a variety of other Doctor Who audios produced by Big Finish.

1 He May Have Ties To The Peter Cushing Doctor

The Dr. Who Dalek films were feature-length film adaptations of the First Doctor stories "The Daleks" and "The Dalek Invasion of Earth". The actor Peter Cushing played the role of the Doctor in both films, and while the characters and plots followed that of the show, the movies are not considered canon.

However, during an interview, Peter Cushing offered his thoughts on how his Doctor was still canon to the show. Cushing was reported as saying "perhaps he (The Celestial Toymaker) kidnaped Dr. Who, wiped his memory and made him relive some of his earlier adventures." Cushing was offered the role of the Doctor in the TV show too when the producers were looking for Hartnell's replacement, but he turned it down.

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