Britney Spears could return to How I Met Your Mother, says producer

Britney Spears is always welcome back to How I Met Your Mother, says the CBS sitcom's executive producer Carter Bays.

"We always said, 'You know, if her character pops, we’ll bring her back'," Bays tells the Associated Press. "I thought she was great. I was very proud of that episode."

The singer's appearance on the March 24 show -- where Spears played a receptionist at a dermatologist’s office -- ended with her flirting with Neil Patrick Harris' character, Barney.

Patrick Harris said Spears was "really funny".

"It was totally weird," Bays said of having Spears on the set. "I think we have a very, like, kind of Midwestern homey vibe here on the show, and it was strange to suddenly have helicopters circling," he said.

On the following episode, in which Spears did not appear, a "mystery woman" sabotaging Barney’s usually successful attempts to pick up ladies was introduced into the plot.

Asked if Spears might end up to be the saboteur, Bays replied "Could be. There’s no reason why not," adding that actress Sarah Chalke (who starred on Spears' episode) could also come back.

So, will Britney come back or won’t she? "I don’t know," he said. "I don’t know the answer to that."