Neil Patrick Harris reveals How I Met Your Mother succeeded because cast feared cancellation

Neil Patrick Harris has revealed that How I Met Your Mother became a success partly because the cast were "worried" the show would be cancelled.

The actor, best known for playing womaniser Barney Stinson on the show, has explained the uncertainty surrounding the sitcom's future kept the cast and crew motivated.

Harris made the comments during a new two-part episode of the How We Made Your Mother podcast, in which hosts Josh Radnor - who played Ted Mosby - and co-creator Craig Thomas discussed the show's success with him.

"We never felt secure," Harris said of himself and the rest of the cast, according to People. "We thought we might get cancelled all the time. That hunger kept everyone sharp - writers, actors, everyone."

The actor added, "We weren't coasting."

Harris went on to admit that he felt "insecure" while starring in the show, which ran for nine seasons from 2005 to 2014.

"I was needy and insecure as an actor back then. I never finished a scene thinking, 'Mic drop, nailed it,'" he recalled. "I was always asking, 'You think that's good? Pam, are you happy? Do you want to do it again?' That insecurity absolutely played into the bravado."

In a previous interview with People, Harris revealed that the cast did not expect the show to become such a major hit.

"For the first really four seasons of that show, we did not think there would be another season, so every time we finished, we thought we were done," he stated at the time. "And then, it was a nice surprise when we were coming back."

The first instalment of the two-part How We Made Your Mother episode featuring Harris will be released on Monday, with part two following on 23 March.