No Sitcom Return For Britney

Neil Patrick Harris isn’t keen to have Britney Spears join the cast of his US sitcom How I Met Your Mother long term.

Although the former Doogie Howser MD star doesn’t anything against her personally – he thinks it would be a cheap attempt to cash in on the ratings boost she gave the show recently.

Neil – who plays womanizer Barney - been quoted as telling Associated Press: "I'm in the minority that our show does not need stunt casting in order to succeed."

"I worry that if they start Will and Grace-ing us too much, that the show will suffer. And we're all really proud of the content of the show. I mean, viewership is not our game. It's the network and the studio's game, you know. It's the promotion department's game."

Britney has been the most high-profile guest star to visit the set, following past appearances by Mandy Moore, Enrique Iglesias and Heidi Klum.