Britney Shows Charm On "Mother" Set, Get A Sneak Peek Of Britney Spears Appearing On "How I Met Your Mother" Again

May 12, 2008

Britney Spears, right, and Neil Patrick Harris, left, as Abby and Barney on CBS' "How I Met Your Mother." (CBS/Cliff Lipson)

(CBS) Britney Spears will reprise her role as Abby on CBS' Comedy "How I Met Your Mother" tonight and previews show she and Barney, Neil Patrick Harris' character, are united in their hate of Ted.

"They take it pretty far. It is quite, quite funny," says series co-star Alyson Hannigan, who plays Lily. "I don't want to give away the big spoilers, although I have seen it in the commercial. There could be a proposal. You never know."

Hannigan says working with Spears was a delight.

"She's very polite and sweet. She's got the southern charm. And she's just a -- you know, she comes in, she does her stuff. She's very funny. And really sweet. And she liked my dogs."

This is Spears' second time guest-starring on the show.

"We're all so thrilled to have Britney joining us once again," said Craig Thomas, executive producer of the show. "And just to head it off at the pass this time around: Yes, Mom, Britney's very nice and no, I can't get her autograph for you."

This time around her character Abby will flaunt her "relationship" with Barney, in an attempt to get a rise out of Ted. Barney, who had a falling out with Ted, will even go as far as popping a surprising question to Abby to get to his former pal.

Of course, the camera is not on Spears for the entire episode. Hannigan's character has shopaholic tendencies that spiral out of control in this episode. So Marshall, her husband, sets up a Web site to sell her clothes in order to raise money.

"Actually," says Hannigan, "the Web site is real. And all the money's going to go to the Los Angeles Children's Hospital."

To bid on some of the outfits Hannigan has worn in the show, go to www.lilyandmarshallselltheirstuff.com

"I've picked a bunch of outfits that I wore on the show. I really felt like Lily," Hannigan says of the experience. She says she would hold up an outfit and think, "I love this dress" and then put it aside for charity because "it's a good cause."