HOLLYWOOD - Troubled pop star Britney Spears landed an appearance on her favorite sitcom How I Met Your Mother after the singer's agent asked the makers to create a character for her.

Spears--who will appear as a doctor's receptionist named Abby--is a huge fan of the show and deemed a guest role a perfect assignment at this juncture of her turbulent career.

Creator Craig Thomas admits he was ecstatic when Spears' representatives contacted him, and was left in no doubt he'd made the right decision to recruit her when she turned up for a script reading--and impressed everyone present with her acting talent and enthusiastic approach.

He says, "Britney's people ended up coming to CBS and expressing interest in our show, and we were thrilled: 'Britney Spears watches our show!'

"They said she was looking for a small part on a funny show, and she checked out our show and liked it. They were really receptive to the idea of bringing Britney in and just doing a funny role for her. It all came together really quickly--it was kind of shocking.

"She seemed to have a great time, and we had a great time working with her. It was just like really a normal table read."

Spears will shoot her scenes this week, with the episode scheduled for broadcast on CBS March 24.

http://www.hollywood.com/news/Spears_Approached_TV_Sitcom_for_Role/5100806