Big Finish Productions have released details of a new race of monsters, the Viyrans, that are due to make their debut before the end of 2007.

The new batch of single episode stories (which accompany the new three-parters on double-CD releases) are to be part of an extended storyline umbrella entitled “The Virus Strand”.

“Our intention for it is to be very mysterious and subtle”, explains executive producer Nicholas Briggs. “The first two one-parters, “Urgent Calls” and “Urban Myths”, have a very oblique connection to “The Virus Strand”, and stand up as stories in their own right. But there are little seeds of ideas in them.”

By the time listeners get to the November 2007 release, “The Mind’s Eye”, they will encounter a Virus Strand one-parter entitled “Mission of the Viyrans”, in which the Viyran involvement is quite overt. The story will feature Fifth Doctor Peter Davison, but mainly follows the exploits of his companion Peri played by Nicola Bryant.

“What we’re creating is an alien species with a unique, evolving motivation that will bring it into contact with The Doctor for very different reasons throughout his life”, explains Nicholas Briggs. “They’re not necessarily evil, but sometimes the results of their actions can be catastrophic. But all this doesn’t mean to say that we’ve given up on The Doctor’s classic, returning monsters. A few of those will be back too from time to time, and that’s for sure - and not just the Daleks and Cybermen either!”