Britney SpearsHow I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris has experienced disappointment about Britney Spears‘ cameo in the show last month.

Britney’s one-off appearance helped the sitcom achieve its highest ever rating, with 10.6million people - 2million more than normal - tuning in to watch but Neil said this week he was saddened by the stunt.

He’s quoted in OK magazine as saying: “I’m in the minority that feels 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. We’re all really proud of the content of the show.”

The show’s executive producer Carter Bays though said that he was pleased with the result: “We had no illusions about what the stakes were. And if it was classic stunt casting like, ‘Oh, my tour bus broke down outside’ and I just go, ‘Wow, Britney Spears! What are you doing here?’ then, like, we’re just flying over that shark real fast.”

“It was a great character and I think she played it well… I’m glad that we didn’t sensationalize the character in any way.”