Van Dyke, ‘Downton’ Stars Guest on Disney Shows

Disney is rolling out the guest voices for two of its most popular series, with Dick Van Dyke adding his talents to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and cast members from the PBS hit Downton Abbey contributing to Doc McStuffins.

A true Disney legend, Van Dyke will guest stars as Goofy’s pirate grandpappy, Captain Goof-Beard, in a special music-filled episode of Disney Junior’s Emmy Award-nominated animated series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, premiering Oct. 10 at 9 a.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel. The episode, titled “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Pirate Adventure,” features six new original songs performed by Van Dyke’s character alongside Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Pluto.

“Anytime it’s Disney, I always show up,” says Van Dyke. “This is the first time I’ve ever worked with Goofy, and I’m playing his grandfather. I’m a pirate; nobody ever knew Goofy’s grandfather was a pirate!”

Meanwhile, Downton Abbey stars Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates), Lesley Nicol (Mrs. Patmore), Matt Milne (Alfred Nugent), Nigel Harman (Mr. Green) and Robert Bathurst (Sir Anthony Strallan) are among the guest-star voices in a special episode of Disney Junior’s Emmy-nominated animated series Doc McStuffins.

Titled “Let the Nightingale Sing,” the episode premieres Nov. 2 at 8:30 a.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel in the U.S. and in December on Disney Junior U.K. In the extended-length episode, Doc and her toys magically travel back to 19th century England where they meet a young Florence Nightingale (voiced by Froggatt) and help her realize her dream of becoming a nurse.

In addition to Froggatt, Nicol guest stars as Pip, a small porcelain doll; Milne as Bernard, a teddy bear; Harman as Doodle Doo, a tin rooster; and Bathurst as Admiral Fiddlesticks, a toy admiral. The episode features a new original song, Love What You Do, about following one’s dreams.